Q. I am 75 years old; my wife is 62. I did not start collecting Social Security until age 70 and receive about $1,650 per month benefit. How much can my wife expect to receive at my death, assuming it happens this year? What would her benefit be at age 65, 66, 67?

A. If Social Security widow benefits begin at or after full retirement age your wife would receive the same benefit you would receive if still alive. Her widow benefit would be reduced for each month of early retirement if widow benefits begin before she reaches full retirement age. The rate of reduction is approximately 5.7 percent per year. The Social Security Administration can provide you a precise amount if you call 1-800-772-1213 or call or visit your local office.


Q. I am retired on disability and receive SS Disability. Does my wife receive the same benefit amount that I am receiving at the time of death?

A. When you were approved for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, your benefit was calculated as if you had already reached retirement age. A benefit to your widow will be calculated the same as the widow of any other Social Security retiree.

If your wife is full retirement age or more before being widowed, her widow benefit will be the full benefit you would receive if still alive. If she is less than full retirement age, her widow benefit will be reduced for each month of early retirement. A widow who begins a widow benefit at age 60, for example, receives 71.5 percent of her deceased husband’s full benefit.


Q. I am anticipating going on disability. I am on numerous medications. How do I get them covered or is there a prescription plan to help/pay for these?

A. Social Security Disability Insurance beneficiaries become eligible for Medicare after two years of receiving disability benefits. There is no help with medical benefits prior to Medicare eligibility. When you are eligible for Medicare, you will be entitled to purchase a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan.

Until then, there are a variety of options available to assist people with their drug costs:

Medicaid: This program, jointly funded by state and federal governments, provides medical assistance, including prescription drug coverage, for certain individuals and families with low incomes and limited resources. Contact your local Medicaid agency for information.

Veterans Benefits: For veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) covers prescription drugs prescribed by a VA doctor if filled at VA facilities. There is a small co-payment. Call 1-800-827-1000.

State-sponsored programs: Half of all US states offer a state-sponsored program to assist elderly and/or disabled citizens with their drug costs.

Pharmaceutical company and pharmacy discount cards: You can sign up for discount programs with drug manufacturers, pharmacy chains and other suppliers. Some of these programs require that you have no other prescription coverage, that you meet an income limit or that you pay a fee. In some circumstances pharmaceutical companies provide free prescription medicines. Access to free medicines is through your own physicians.


Q. My father passed away three years ago. He had been receiving Social Security. When he passed away, my mother was told she would not be able to draw anything from his record. My father was 79 when he died, and my mother is now 49. There are no children living at home or in school. She was told that if she had children in school, she would still be able to draw his Social Security. Is this right?

A. Social Security provides two kinds of benefits to widows, and based on the information you’ve provided, your mother can’t qualify for either at this time.

If she hasn’t remarried, however, your mother will be eligible for a widow’s benefit based on your deceased father’s Social Security record when she reaches age 60. She could be eligible for a widow’s benefit as early as age 50 if she becomes disabled. As a widow, she will have a choice as to which benefit to begin first—her own benefit or her widow’s benefit. She can even switch from one to the other if it becomes advantageous to do so. For example, she could begin a reduced widow’s benefit at age 60 and switch to her own unreduced benefit at full retirement age. Alternatively, she could wait until age 62, begin her own reduced benefit and switch to an unreduced widow’s benefit when she reaches full retirement age.


Q. I’m 66 years old and have just gone back to full time work. Will my Social Security go up? Does my deceased former husband’s widow have to pass away in order for me to be able to collect on his Social Security record?

A. With regard to your first question, when your Social Security began, the Social Security Administration determined your initial monthly Social Security benefit on an average of your 35 highest years of earnings. Before selecting the highest years, all of your earnings were indexed to bring them up to date. Your new earnings will increase your benefit if the amount you earn in a year exceeds the earnings in one of the years used in determining your initial benefit.

An automatic recalculation takes place each year whenever new earnings are credited to a retiree’s earnings record. If a year of new earnings exceeds one of the years used previously in determining your initial benefit, monthly benefits increase. Regardless of when this recalculation takes place, the benefit increase is retroactive to the previous January. If new earnings do not increase the lifetime average on which the initial benefit was based, the only increase you will receive is the annual Cost-of-Living Adjustment, or COLA.

Regarding your second question, you can qualify for surviving divorced spouse’s benefits if your marriage lasted at least 10 years before ending in divorce. The fact that your former husband left a widow has no bearing on your eligibility for a survivor’s benefit.


Q. My husband and I ran a construction company for 20 plus years. After he had a heart attack, we had to close down. We always filed jointly as a married couple, but his Social Security benefit is almost twice what I get. Why?

A. The most likely explanation for this difference is that when you filed your federal income tax returns, you and your husband indicated that all or most of your business income should be credited to his Social Security earnings record. That is a common tax strategy for couples because generally it produces greater combined Social Security benefits for the two of you. It also maximizes benefits to a surviving spouse.

Your earnings record can be changed retroactively if you can produce business records and other evidence that the earnings credits should have been equally divided. If successful, your husband’s benefit would be reduced while yours would rise. However, the survivor benefit payable to either of you could be reduced. You should consider carefully if that would be a desirable outcome.


Q. I know that the Medicare premium is deducted from your Social Security check at age 65. If I retire at the age of 62, is Medicare deducted also?

A. You may begin your Social Security retirement benefit early, but you will have to wait until the month you reach age 65 for Medicare to begin. If you are already receiving Social Security benefits at that time, you will receive information about Medicare about three months before your 65th birthday. The first Medicare premium will be deducted from the payment for the month before you reach 65. Medicare coverage will begin on the first day of the month you are 65.


Q. In the future, will older workers experience more years of disability?

A. If your question refers to workers receiving Social Security Disability Insurance, the numbers have risen along with the increase in the age for full retirement. The full retirement age is now static at 67 for individuals reaching age 62 in 2022 or later. Disability Insurance ends at full retirement age, at which time the disability benefits are converted to retirement benefits.


Q. Do the earnings of your final ten years of employment have any special bearing on your Social Security benefits once you retire?

A. Final years of earnings have no special significance. Earnings prior to age 60 are indexed to bring them up-to-date. Actual earnings from age 60 on are included in the benefit calculation. Benefits are determined on the basis of the highest 35 years of indexed or actual earnings. It does not matter when those years of earnings occur.


Q. My father-in-law is 77. He receives Social Security benefits and plans to marry. His intended receives her deceased husband’s benefits. Do they lose either benefit after marriage?

A. If your father-in-law and his fiancée choose to marry, there will be no change whatsoever in either of their Social Security benefits. Marriage or remarriage never affects a worker’s own Social Security benefit. Marriage after age 60 (50, if disabled) never affects a widow or widower’s right to a survivor benefit based on a prior marriage.


Q. I am 65 and started drawing Social Security; my wife is drawing too. My question is: what are the rules for drawing money out of my IRA? I want to take out around $6,000 to pay credit cards off. How will this affect me? Will I lose my monthly benefits? How about paying taxes on $6,000?

A. Withdrawals from your 401K plan or liquidation of any other retirement assets will not affect your Social Security benefits. The Social Security annual earnings limitation considers only earnings from employment or self-employment. Pensions, interest, dividends, capital gains or other retirement savings are not earnings from new work related activity.


Q. I am 62 and am divorced after a marriage that lasted 15 years. Can I receive benefits on my former husband’s record, even though he is still working?

A. As long as your marriage lasted 10 consecutive years and you are still unmarried, you can qualify for a divorced spouse’s benefit on your former husband’s record at any time after reaching age 62. The fact that your husband hasn’t started receiving Social Security benefits doesn’t matter if he is at least age 62 and your divorce has been final for at least two years.