Social Security Taxes – The Simply Retirement Podcast

Social Security Rules Women May Not Know: Survivor Benefits, Retirement Age & Taxes (Ep. 124)

By The Simply Retirement Podcast | September 30, 2026

Social Security rules can look straightforward until survivor benefits, retirement ages, taxes, and your personal history start overlapping.

Understanding where these rules came from can help you recognize which details deserve a closer look before you file.

In this episode, I look back at how Social Security has changed and why that history still affects women making retirement decisions today. I explain why some people have two different full retirement ages, how survivor and divorced-spouse benefits developed, and how rules around remarriage have changed. I also cover Social Security taxation, cost-of-living adjustments, and several numbers that haven’t kept pace with inflation.

Key points:

Why retirement and survivor benefits can have different full retirement ages for the same person
How survivor benefits developed and why a spouse’s filing age can affect the surviving spouse
Why a 10-year marriage remains an important threshold when considering benefits from an ex-spouse
How Social Security taxation thresholds have remained unchanged even as incomes and costs have risen
Why understanding today’s Social Security rules can help women make more informed retirement decisions
And more!

Resources:

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Social Security Headlines: What They Really Mean for Your Retirement (Ep. 120)

By The Simply Retirement Podcast | September 2, 2026

For women approaching or already in retirement, Social Security decisions can feel harder when tax questions, funding projections, and proposed legislation all appear in the headlines at once.

How do you separate information that affects your plan from news that simply deserves your attention?

In this episode, I answer a listener’s question about Social Security tax withholding while working at age 70. I explain what it really means when up to 85% of Social Security may be taxable, how withholding choices work, and why your broader tax picture matters. I also break down the 2026 Social Security Trustees Report, what the projected funding shortfall actually means for benefits, and what the proposed PROMISE Act could change. Most importantly, I explain why retirement decisions should be based on your circumstances and current law rather than headlines or predictions.

Key points:

Why delaying Social Security until age 70 can increase monthly income for life and potentially affect survivor benefits
What “85% of Social Security is taxable” actually means and how provisional income affects federal taxation
How the five Social Security withholding options differ and why your full income picture should guide the choice
What the 2026 Trustees Report says about future benefits and why a funding shortfall doesn’t mean benefits disappear
How to think about the proposed PROMISE Act without changing your retirement plan based on legislation that isn’t law
And more!

Resources:

Connect with Eric Blake:

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