I am 70 and still work full time. My husband died recently. I will be getting his SS money, however I was receiving my SS money also and pay into it from my paycheck. SS told me I can't get both, but what about all the money I've already paid into it and still do from my paycheck?

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

What Social Security told you is correct. No one can be paid more than one full Social Security benefit at the same time. If you're entitled to more than one benefit, you can only be paid the higher of the two benefit amounts.

Social Security is an insurance program funded by Social Security taxes, not an individual retirement account. Therefore, there's no guarantee that you'll be paid as much as you put into the program, although many people end up receiving much more than they ever paid in. That's just the nature of insurance, and it's the way congress designed the Social Security program. If you continue working in a job requiring Social Security tax withholding, you must pay that tax even if doing so won't benefit you in terms of your benefit rate.

Best, Jerry