A. Yes, you can. When you are eligible for both your own retirement benefits and a survivor benefit, you have the option of collecting one benefit early and waiting until you are older to switch to the other. Collecting early will not affect the amount you will collect from the other.
You can collect a survivor benefit on your deceased spouse's record as early as age 60, and wait as late as age 70 to switch to your own record.
Q6. What if I stop working in my 50s? Will it affect the amount I collect when I apply at age 62, or 66, or 70?
A. Your social security benefits are calculated based on your 35 highest years of earnings. It doesn't matter what age you were when your earnings peaked.
The estimates on your Social Security statement include anticipated future earnings if you have worked in the two years prior to the statement date. So that estimate may be off if you plan to stop working sooner than that. You can fine-tune that estimate with Social Security's Retirement Estimator, which can be found on its website at ssa.gov. You can also get a revised estimate by calling the Social Security Administration at 800-772-1213.