How work affects Social Security survivor benefits

You can get Social Security retirement or survivors benefits and work at the same time. But, if you are younger than full retirement age and earn more than certain amounts, your benefits will be reduced.

The specifics vary from case to case, but in one instance, if you are younger than full retirement age during all of 2009, Social Security will deduct $1 from your benefits for each $2 you earned above $14,160.

See here for details :
http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10069.html