I am a widow earning $40,000 a year at my job. I will turn 60 in January. Will I be able to collect a percentage of my husband's Social Security and stay at the same income? Thank you!

Hi. You can potentially qualify for widow's benefits as early as the month you reach age 60, but whether or not you could collect benefits depends on the amount of your benefit. If you file for widow's benefits at age 60 you're benefit rate is calculated at 71.5% of your deceased spouse's primary insurance amount (PIA).

The Social Security earnings test exempt amount in 2021 is $18,960, but the 2022 amount won't be announced until later this year. Let's say, for example, that the exempt amount next year is $20,000 and you earn $40,000. Social Security would then need to withhold $10,000 of your 2022 benefits, or $1 for every $2 that you earn in excess of the exempt amount. So, if your annual benefits amount to more than the amount that's required to be withheld, then you could be paid some benefits next year.

It sounds like your best strategy for claiming benefits would likely be one of the following:
1) File for reduced widow's benefits at age 60 or as soon as your earnings will permit at least some benefits to be paid, then switch to your own record at age 70; or,
2) File for reduced retirement benefits on your own record at age 62 or as soon as your earnings will permit at least some benefits to be paid, then file for unreduced widow's benefits at full retirement age (FRA).

Normally, you would want to start out drawing the lower benefit first and then switch to the higher benefit when it reaches it's highest potential rate. Our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) could help sort all of this out for you so that you can determine the best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry