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Martha Shedden is RSSA’s President and Co-Founder. Read Martha’s responses to questions regarding Social Security. View all questions or browse by category. Submit your own question to Martha here.

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Can my wife collect survivor benefits from her previous husband?

Full question: My wife is 62 and I am 61. Neither of us are collecting Social Security. She was married for over 10 years and her husband died. Can she collect Social Security on his work record until I retire? Or can she wait until she is 67 and transfer to her own retirement benefit?…

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I live in Canada. Can I claim on wife’s Social Security?

Full question: I am 72 and never claimed Social Security as I did not pay into it long enough. Can I claim on my wife’s Social Security? She was born December 1958 and I now live in Canada. Hello, Yes, you are eligible to claim a spousal benefit based on your wife’s earnings record, if…

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I receive Social Security already. Can I cancel my benefits now and reapply later?

Hi there, Yes, there are two opportunities to stop payments and reapply to start again later. If you have been collecting benefits for less than 12 months, you may withdraw your application. This requires you to pay back any Social Security income you have collected, but essentially “wipes the slate clean” so you can reapply…

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What are the requirements and how does my wife file for Social Security disability insurance, SSDI, benefits?

Full question: I am 66.5 and my wife is 66 and disabled. I am going to wait until I’m 70 because I still work, but my wife was wondering do you receive more benefits if you are filing disabled? And what do you need to do in order to file for disability under Social Security?…

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Can you apply for survivor benefits years later and will you receive back pay?

Full question: Hi. Question about survivor benefits. My mother is currently collecting SS. My father passed away in 2002. Can she still apply for survivor benefits after all this time? If so, will she get back pay from 2002 to present year? Thank you. Hi there, Yes, she may be able to collect a higher…

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How do I switch from survivor benefits to my own benefits and withhold a percentage for tax purposes?

Full question: Currently receiving my late wife’s benefit while deferring mine. Turning 70 in September and would like to turn on my benefit and have SS withhold a percentage for tax purposes. I’ve made several calls to the “closed” SS offices and can not get a straight answer as to how I’m supposed to accomplish…

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