Thank you all for the responses! This has been incredibly helpful. I've made an appointment with SSA for next month and will specifically ask about surviving divorced spouse benefits. I'm gathering all my documents, including our marriage certificate, divorce decree, and her SSN. From what you've all shared, it sounds like I might be eligible since we were married over 10 years, even though we both remarried. I'll update once I learn more from SSA - this forum has already given me a much better starting point than I had before!

Just wanted to add that you should also ask SSA about the timing of when to claim these benefits. Since you're still working and have 3 years until FRA, you might want to understand how the earnings test works if you claim survivor benefits early (you can claim as early as 60, but at a reduced rate). Also, survivor benefits don't earn delayed retirement credits like your own retirement benefit does, so there's no advantage to waiting past your FRA to claim them. The strategy might be to claim survivor benefits at FRA and let your own retirement benefit grow until age 70 if that would result in higher lifetime benefits. Definitely worth discussing all the timing options with them!

My head is spinning with all these rules!!! I thought Social Security was supposed to be simple? Why do they make everything so complicated with all these different ages and percentages and rules about who can file when???? I'm turning 60 next month and now I'm terrified I'm going to mess everything up when it's my turn to figure this out!!

I'm new to this community but going through something similar with my parents right now. My dad is 68 and still working, mom just turned 63. We learned the hard way that she can't get spousal benefits until he actually files - even though he's past FRA. One thing that helped us was requesting a Social Security Statement online to see exactly what both their benefits would be at different ages. You can create an account on the SSA website and it shows your projected benefits at 62, FRA, and 70. Really helps with running the numbers to see what makes sense financially. Also, don't forget about Medicare! Even if you delay Social Security, you still need to enroll in Medicare at 65 to avoid penalties (unless you have qualifying employer coverage). That's a whole other set of rules to navigate unfortunately.

You all have been so helpful! I'm definitely going to ask about the survivor benefits vs. my own retirement benefits. Had no idea I could potentially claim one now and switch later - that sounds like a smart strategy. I've got my marriage certificate, direct deposit info, and tax returns ready. And I'll make sure to answer the phone early! One more question - the appointment is scheduled for 45 minutes. Is that enough time to cover everything? Should I prepare questions in advance?

just wondering how the appointment went?? mine was so scary but the lady was soooo nice actually!

One more thing to keep in mind - it's generally advisable to speak with an SSA representative before you make any claiming decisions regarding survivor benefits. The optimal claiming strategy often involves taking survivor benefits at one age and your own retirement benefits at a different age, depending on your specific circumstances. For example, if your own retirement benefit at age 70 would be higher than your survivor benefit, you might take reduced survivor benefits at 60 and then switch to your own benefit at 70. Or if your survivor benefit would be higher, you might take your own reduced retirement benefit at 62 and switch to survivors at your FRA. The SSA representatives won't volunteer this information unless you specifically ask about these strategies.

I'm sorry for your loss. I went through something very similar when my father passed away last year. My mom had the exact same concern about not seeing survivor benefit information on her mySocialSecurity account, and like others have mentioned, this is completely normal. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet - when you do eventually contact SSA to apply for survivor benefits, make sure you have your husband's Social Security number handy along with your marriage certificate. They'll need to verify the marriage duration since you need to have been married for at least 9 months (with some exceptions for accidental death). Also, since you're 54 now, you might want to keep in mind that if you remarry before age 60, it could affect your eligibility for survivor benefits from your late husband. But if you remarry at 60 or later, you can still collect survivor benefits. The SSA phone system is definitely a nightmare, but when you're ready to apply in a few years, calling first thing in the morning (right at 8 AM) or late in the week tends to have shorter wait times in my experience.

Since no one's mentioned it yet, there's also an actual formula you can use to get a rough idea. Your Social Security benefit is based on your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME). If you have several zero years in your 35-year calculation: 1. Every $1,200 in additional annual earnings translates to about $1 more per month in benefits for the rest of your life So if you're earning $72,000 per year as you mentioned, and replacing zeros, that's potentially adding about $60 monthly to your benefit for each year worked ($72,000 ÷ $1,200 = $60). Over a 20-year retirement, that's about $28,800 in additional benefits for each extra year you work (not counting cost of living adjustments). This is simplified, but gives you a ballpark figure to compare against your work satisfaction and other factors.

Another factor to consider is the delayed retirement credits if you're thinking about when to actually claim benefits. If you're planning to retire but wait until your Full Retirement Age to claim, you might also want to look into whether waiting even longer to claim (up to age 70) could make sense given your situation. Since you have those gaps in your work history, your benefit amount at FRA might be lower than someone with a full 35-year career. Delayed retirement credits give you an 8% increase per year for each year you delay claiming past your FRA up to age 70. So if your FRA benefit ends up being on the lower side due to those zero years, the delayed credits could be particularly valuable. You could potentially retire when you want, work part-time or consult if you need income, and still maximize your eventual Social Security benefit by waiting to claim. Just something else to factor into your overall retirement strategy!