My husband died in 2015, he was 61 when he died and a was 59.I work and make $24,500 a year thru Disability Services of the Southwest being my disabled adult sons aid. He's 27 and has autism. I applied for mu hisbands social security in March of 2015. My son was receiving disability payments of $834. per month. The disability benefits were taken away and now he gets $900. a month of husbands SS death benefits. I get $900. a month from June thru December only and receive nothing January thru June, they say because I make to much money. We are struggling to pay bills and eat. Please help me figure the best way to figure out what I can do. I keep getting further into debt as I must use credit cards to help. I am going to be 62 in November of this year. Thank you for any advise you can give me......

Hi,

I wish I had a better answer for you, but it sounds as though you are receiving all that you are eligible for from Social Security at this point. Your son is apparently receiving disabled adult child's benefits, and you must be receiving mother's benefits. Both of these benefits are paid at a rate of 75% of the deceased worker's primary insurance amount (PIA), which is why your monthly rate is the same as your son's.

The reason that your benefits are being paid for only part of the year is due to Social Security's earnings test, which results in the withholding of $1 in benefits for each $2 in earnings above an established limit. In 2016, this limit is set at $15,720.

The potential good news is that you will very likely be eligible for higher benefits in the future. Your mother's benefit will convert to a widow's benefit when you reach age 66, and widow's benefits are paid at a rate of 100% of the deceased worker's PIA. In your case, that would mean an increase of up to $300 in your monthly benefit, subject to a family maximum calculation. Also, the limit on earnings increases in the year you reach full retirement age (probably the year 2022 in your case), and is eliminated completely effective with the month you reach full retirement age. At that point, your benefits will be paid for the whole year, even if you continue working.

Furthermore, depending on your earnings history, you may be eligible for higher benefits on your own account in the future. If that's the case, it's probably optimal to wait until age 70 to switch to your own account, but there are many factors to consider in your case. Depending on your PIA, your son may also be eligible for a higher monthly benefit when you switch to your own account. Therefore, you may want or need to consider switching to your own account sooner than at age 70, even if it's not the optimal long-term option. Your Social Security office should be able to help explain your options to you, but you may also want to consider running the maximization software available on this website.

I truly sympathize with your situation. It's obvious that you are working hard and doing everything that you can, yet you are still having trouble making ends meet. Have you checked with the Social Services office in your county to see if you and/or your son qualify for any types of public assistance, particularly food stamps? I realize that it's hard to ask for help, but you certainly want to avoid building up credit card debt as much as possible.

Best, Jerry