I became a widow at age 39 and received an allowance because I had a minor son. He was cut off his benefits by age 18 and I was cut off before he turned 18. Can someone tell me if now that I am 55 years of age can I collect a widow's pension or do I have to wait until age 60. Also, is there chance that I may not ever qualify for a widows pension since I already received the mother's allowance. Thanks for any information you can give me at this time because I never remarried and need to know what my options are now or what they will be in the future.

What country are you in?

I am in the United States.

A widow is entitled to receive Social Security based on her husband's earnings if they are better than your own. I would contact your local Social Security office to see what benefits are available to you. If you take those benefits early, it will reduce the amount you are entitled to.

If your husband worked for a good sized company, you may be entitled to a pension payment from them. Social Security should be able to tell you what benefits might be available from former employers. Or you can contact those employers.

I'm 55 and I became a widow at 52 and I was told by Social Security that I had to wait untilI was 60, and I live in Jersey.