I have been approved by SSA to receive survivor benefits. My FRA is 66. I'm scheduled to start receiving benefits at 65.4 months. I will be working 30 hours\week, and earnings limit is not an issue. My wages will not completely cover my monthly expenses so I will need to withdraw $8,000 from IRA in that time period.. Should I wait the 8 months and start collecting the survivor benefits at my FRA of 66?

Hi. There isn't enough information in your question for me to be able to give you a proper answer. The best time for you to start drawing survivor benefits depends in large part on how your survivor rate compares to your own Security retirement benefit rate. In most cases, you'd want to start drawing the lower benefit as soon as your earnings permit benefits to be paid, and then switch to the other benefit when it reaches it's highest rate.

Furthermore, a person's full retirement age (FRA) for survivor benefits can be as much as 4 months earlier than their FRA for retirement benefits, so I don't know whether or not you're accounting for that (https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/survivors/1945s.html). And, lastly, the age at which you'd be due your maximum survivor benefit rate depends on whether or not your deceased spouse started drawing his or her retirement benefits early.

Survivor benefit rates don't increase if you wait past your survivor benefit FRA to start drawing, but retirement benefit rates keep increasing until age 70 if you wait until then to start drawing them. Our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) could help you sort out all of your options so that you can determine the best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry