SOCIAL SECURITY

Q. I've been married twice with both of my marriages ending in the death of my spouses. I recently went into the Social Security office to file for widow's benefits from both of my husbands' earnings records, but was told I could only file for one. Why is that?
A. When you're entitled to benefits on more than one worker's Social Security record as a dependent or a survivor, you can receive benefits from only one record at a time. Social Security will compare each record to see which is more beneficial to you and you decide on which record to file. In some cases you may switch from one record to another if changes on the other record make it to your advantage to do so.
Q: My husband is thinking of early retirement. Does he have to take Social Security at 62? Can he wait until age 63 or 64? Does his Social Security retirement always have to be on his birthday? If he takes it at 62 and later changes his mind and goes back to work, what happens?
A: Your husband can start his Social Security any month after age 62. It does not have to be on his birthday. Social Security benefits are reduced about one-half of 1 percent for each month of early retirement before his "full retirement age." He can change his mind. If he starts his Social Security and later decides to return to work, we'll stop his checks and start them up again when he quits working. And when we restart his checks, we will refigure his benefit, because we can apply that early retirement reduction only to those months he received a check before reaching his full retirement age.
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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