Just wanted to add one more thing that might help - when you do apply in October 2025, consider asking for a "protective filing date." This means if there are any delays in processing your application, your benefits will still be backdated to your intended start date of January 1, 2026. I've seen cases where processing delays pushed back people's start dates by a month or two, which can cost you hundreds of dollars. Also, if you're working part-time, make sure to discuss the earnings test with them - survivor benefits are subject to the same annual earnings limits as retirement benefits if you're under your FRA when you start receiving them. Since you'll be 66 (at FRA) when you start, this shouldn't be an issue, but it's worth confirming. Good luck with your application!

One thing I'd add based on my experience helping my mom with this same situation - consider scheduling your appointment for early in the morning if possible. The SSA representatives tend to be less rushed and more thorough earlier in the day. Also, if your local office offers appointments (not all do), definitely take that over walking in. And here's something nobody mentioned yet - make sure you understand what happens at age 70 when you switch to your own retirement benefit. You'll need to contact SSA again to make that switch, and there can be a gap in payments if you don't time it right. My mom's advisor recommended filing for her retirement benefit about 2-3 months before her 70th birthday to ensure seamless transition. Just something to keep in mind for your future planning! Also seconding what others said about bringing a written statement - I helped my mom type up a one-paragraph summary that she handed to the rep, and they really appreciated having it spelled out so clearly.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! My husband is 68 and planning to wait until 70 to claim his benefits, while I'm already receiving mine. After reading through all these responses, it's really helpful to know that the SSA statements might not show the accurate survivor benefit amounts, especially when delayed retirement credits are involved. It sounds like the key takeaway is that as a surviving spouse at FRA, you should receive whatever your husband was actually getting at the time of his passing, not necessarily what the statement projects. The fact that he waited until 70 to maximize his benefit should work in your favor for survivor benefits too. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's reassuring to hear from people who've actually gone through this process!

I'm going through something very similar with my mom's situation right now. She's been widowed for about 6 months, and when we were preparing for the survivor benefits application, we noticed the same kind of discrepancy on dad's old SSA statement - it showed about $400 less than what he was actually receiving. When mom applied, the SSA representative explained that those survivor benefit projections on the statements are often based on older data and don't always reflect the most current benefit amounts, especially if there have been recent cost-of-living adjustments or if delayed retirement credits were earned. The good news is that mom ended up receiving dad's full monthly amount, just like what others have shared here. The representative told us that surviving spouses at FRA are entitled to 100% of what the deceased spouse was actually receiving at the time of death, not what some outdated projection shows. I'd definitely recommend calling SSA or visiting a local office to get a current, accurate projection. Don't let that statement number worry you too much - from what I've learned, the actual survivor benefit process uses the real payment amounts, not those potentially outdated projections.

I'm going through something similar with my elderly parents right now. One additional thing to consider is making sure your wife has her own my Social Security account set up online at ssa.gov. Even though she can't apply for survivor benefits online, having the account gives her access to view her current benefits, download benefit verification letters, and get familiar with the SSA online system. Also, if you haven't already, consider setting up automatic bill pay for your major expenses from a joint account that she has full access to. This can help bridge any gap during the benefit transition period. My mom found it really helpful that dad had set up most bills to auto-pay, so she didn't have to worry about missing payments while dealing with the paperwork and waiting for survivor benefits to kick in.

This is such valuable information everyone is sharing! As someone who works in elder services, I'd like to add that many local Area Agencies on Aging offer free assistance with Social Security applications, including survivor benefits. These counselors are specifically trained to help navigate the SSA system and can often accompany your wife to appointments or help with phone calls if needed. Also worth noting - if your wife has any cognitive issues or finds paperwork overwhelming, she can designate a representative payee or authorize someone to help her with SSA matters using Form SSA-1696. This could be an adult child or trusted family member who could assist with the application process and ongoing management. The key is setting these supports up now while you're both able to make these decisions together, rather than trying to figure it out during a crisis.

Update: After following everyone's advice, I finally got through most of this process! The Canadian pension office had a specific international benefits department that processed my request in 2 weeks instead of 6. I sent everything certified mail to SSA and followed up regularly. My benefit is now being processed with only a partial WEP reduction thanks to my 23 years of US work. Thanks everyone for your help navigating this complicated mess!

Congratulations on getting through this! Your experience is really helpful for others facing similar situations. I'm dealing with a similar WEP issue but with a UK pension. Quick question - when you contacted the Canadian pension office's international benefits department, did you need any special reference numbers or just your regular pension information? Also, did SSA give you any paperwork showing exactly how they calculated your partial WEP reduction? I want to make sure I can verify their math when my case gets processed.

Update: I found the SSA-1099 in my mySocialSecurity account! For anyone else looking, after you log in, click on "Replacement Documents" on the main page, then select "Replace Tax Form SSA-1099/1042S". Thanks everyone for your help! Now I just need to figure out how much of it is actually taxable.

Just wanted to add that if you're married filing jointly, make sure you include BOTH spouses' Social Security benefits when calculating the taxable amount. I made this mistake my first year - I only included my benefits but forgot about my spouse's, which threw off the whole calculation. The IRS worksheet accounts for combined benefits from both spouses, so you'll need both SSA-1099 forms if you're both receiving benefits.