Q: I lost my wife 3 years ago, she was 62. I am 55 and am not able to work anymore. Can I draw her Social Security now, or am I to young?
A: Unfortunately, I have seen this (or similar) questions much too often lately. Whether it’s due to the loss of a spouse, the poor economy, or a disability, many people are wondering if there is any way to collect Social Security before the traditional retirement age.
The answer will depend on your own unique circumstances. In your case, you are too young for retirement benefits (age 62), and you don’t qualify for widow benefits until age 60 (unless you are caring for a dependent child). However, you mentioned that you are no longer able to work. Depending on the reason you are unable to work, you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits or even SSI.
Social Security disability benefits are available to people who are unable to work due to an illness or disability that is expected to last for at least one year or that will lead to death. If you qualify, you may be eligible for monthly benefits, and Medicare (you must be disabled for 2 years or age 65 to qualify for Medicare).
SSI is a program for people with low income who are either disabled or age 65 or older. The financial requirements for SSI are pretty strict, and you must meet the definition of disabled since you are under age 65. You may or may not qualify depending on your circumstances, but I wanted you to be aware of SSI in case you do qualify.
Annie Jackson says
I be turning 60 in August can i apply for early social security retirement benefits
kristine says
Annie – Thank you for the question. You must be age 62 to qualify for Social Security retirement benefits. If you are widowed, you may qualify for survivor benefits. Please contact the SSA directly to find out what benefits you qualify for. https://www.ssa.gov/agency/contact/
Annie Jackson says
Thanks you for the information i thought I could apply early to get a income am not working my income is food stamps only my brother and his daughter paid for my medication and insurance
kristine says
If you are disabled, you might qualify for Social Security Disability benefits or SSI. You can learn more about those programs here:
https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/text-eligibility-ussi.htm
https://www.ssa.gov/planners/disability/
Otherwise, you need to be age 62 to qualify for Social Security retirement benefits.
I hope this helps. Best wishes to you.
Thelma says
I worked for the federal government for nearly 21 years and retired. I have little employment history otherwise. My husband has never been employed with the government. He gets social security benefits monthly. I am told if he dies before me I cannot get SocSec spousal benefits from his employment years because I worked for the government. I need to know if this is true.
kristine says
Yes, this is true. This is called the Government Pension Offset (GPO). Basically, if you receive a pension from the government (federal, state or local) based on a job where you didn’t pay into Social Security, then any spousal or survivor benefits that you receive from Social Security may be reduced or even eliminated completely.
Here’s how it works. The SSA will reduce your survivor benefit by two-thirds of your pension that you receive from the government. For example, if you receive a monthly civil service pension of $1,200, two-thirds of that, or $800, will be deducted from your Social Security survivor benefit. So, if you are eligible for a $1,000 widows benefit from Social Security, you’ll only receive $200 a month under this rule.
If your pension is larger than the widows benefit you qualify for, your survivor benefit could be reduced to zero. Ex: if your CSRS pension is $2,000 per month, and your widow’s benefit is $1,200 per month, you won’t receive any of the widow’s benefit (1,200 – (2,000 x 2/3 = 1,333) = 0).
That’s probably not the answer you were hoping for, but I hope it helps clarify the rule for you.