SOCIAL SECURITY Q & amp;A

Q: I plan to retire at age 58, and I know I can't start my Social Security retirement benefits until I'm 62. I also understand that my benefits will be reduced because I am taking them before my full retirement age. But I was told they also will be significantly reduced because I won't be paying into Social Security for the last four years before I start my benefits. Is this true?
A: We will base your Social Security retirement benefit on your highest 35 years of earnings. Normally, a worker's highest earning years are those years just before he or she retires. Because you won't have any earnings from age 58 to 62, we have to factor in more earnings from earlier in your working career, when you probably were not making as much as you are now. This means your retirement benefit might not be as high as it could have been had you kept working until age 62. Use our online calculators at www.socialsecurity.gov/planners/index.htm to get a better idea of the impact your early retirement will have on your Social Security benefits.
Q: I am 57 years old and on Social Security disability. My wife is also 57. She has always made more money than I did. She works for the federal government and will get a civil service pension someday. Can she get any of my Social Security if I die?
A: We will have to deduct two-thirds of her civil service benefit from any Social Security widow's payments she might be due. Assuming her civil service pension will be significantly more than your Social Security benefit, that means she won't get anything on your record.
Q: I receive Social Security benefits, but work part time and still pay into Social Security. Will the extra taxes I'm still paying increase my Social Security payment? If so, how do I apply for that increase?
A: If your current earnings will increase your monthly Social Security benefit, then you will get it automatically. You do not have to apply for it. You generally get the increase by October of the following year. In other words, if you worked in 2002 and your earnings increased the amount of your monthly Social Security benefit, you would get a benefit adjustment by October 2003 that pays you back to January 2003 and increases your monthly amount thereafter.
Q: I recently turned 60. Can I draw off my deceased husband's Social Security? He has been dead for 14 years.
A: You can start your widow's benefits any month after you turn 60. At age 60, you'd be due about 70 percent of your husband's Social Security. But, if you're currently working, because you're younger than your "full retirement age," we must deduct $1 from your benefits for every $2 you earn over $11,520 (the limit for 2003).
Q: Can I get both SSI and Social Security?
A: Many people do. If your Social Security benefit is less than the SSI payment level in your state, then you might be eligible for extra SSI benefits to supplement your Social Security check.
XThis column was prepared by the Social Security Administration. For answers to specific Social Security questions, contact Social Security toll-free at (800) 772-1213.
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