Well EXCUSE ME for trying to help!!!!! I was just saying she should look into ALL options!!!! Some people have very little in savings after a spouse dies!!!! 🙄

I'm so sorry for your loss, Miguel. Losing a spouse suddenly is devastating, and navigating the benefits system while grieving makes it even harder. Based on what others have shared, here's a quick summary to help you plan: **Your options:** - Age 60: Reduced survivor benefits (about 71.5% of his full amount) - Age 67: Full survivor benefits (100% of what he would have received) **Key things to remember:** - The reduction is permanent if you claim early - You can't collect both survivor and your own retirement benefits simultaneously - Since you have some work credits, you might benefit from the "claim one, switch later" strategy others mentioned **Next steps I'd suggest:** 1. Check your Social Security statement online (ssa.gov/myaccount) to see your exact work credits 2. Get an estimate of both your potential survivor benefit and your own retirement benefit 3. Consider whether you can work part-time now to build up more credits The strategy Liam and Amara mentioned about claiming survivor benefits at 60 then potentially switching to your own benefit later (if higher) could be really valuable in your situation. Hang in there - you've got this! 💙

As someone who just went through this exact process with my Swedish wife last year, I can confirm that the agent you spoke with gave you completely incorrect information on both points! 1. The tax withholding: Yes, there's typically 30% withholding for non-US citizens, BUT Germany has a tax treaty with the US that should eliminate this. You'll need to file Form W-8BEN to claim the treaty benefits. We did this for Sweden and my wife pays no US taxes on her spousal benefits. 2. The residency requirement: This is 100% FALSE. There is absolutely no requirement for your wife to spend any time in the US to receive spousal benefits. We've been living in Stockholm for 8 years and my wife has never had to return to the US for her benefits. I'd strongly recommend calling the Office of International Operations directly rather than the general SSA line. The regular agents often have no clue about international cases, but the international specialists know exactly how these situations work. The misinformation you received is unfortunately very common - we went through three different agents before getting accurate information. Your wife should qualify for spousal benefits without any residency strings attached. Don't let bad information from an uninformed agent discourage you from pursuing what you're entitled to!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation for my Canadian spouse and can confirm that the agent gave you completely wrong information! We've been living in Toronto for 7 years and my wife receives her spousal benefits with zero issues and no residency requirements whatsoever. The 30% withholding is standard for non-US citizens, but as others have mentioned, the US-Canada tax treaty eliminates this. We filed the W-8BEN form and now she receives her full benefits without any withholding. The process was straightforward once we got connected with someone who actually understood international cases. That "2 months in the US" requirement is absolute nonsense - I've never heard anything so ridiculous! My wife hasn't been to the US in over 3 years and her payments continue without interruption. It sounds like you got an agent who was either completely new or just making things up. Definitely call the Office of International Operations at the number Victoria provided. They sorted everything out for us in one phone call after we wasted weeks getting conflicting information from regular SSA agents. Don't let this bad experience discourage you - your wife is absolutely entitled to those benefits without jumping through imaginary hoops!

I work for a benefits counseling organization and see cases like yours frequently. Here's what you need to know definitively: 1) **Second husband survivor benefits**: No, you cannot receive survivor benefits from your second ex-husband because you were divorced when he died. The one-week timing doesn't create an exception - the law requires you to be married at time of death. 2) **First husband benefits**: You ARE eligible for divorced spouse benefits from your 28-year marriage starting at age 62 (reduced) or full retirement age (100% of benefit). This could potentially be higher than your current $1,875 SSDI. 3) **Key decision point**: At age 62, you can compare your SSDI with potential divorced spouse benefits and receive whichever is higher. At full retirement age, your SSDI automatically converts to retirement benefits at the same amount. **My strong recommendation**: Before making any remarriage decisions, get your benefit estimates from SSA. Use form SSA-7004 to request a statement showing your ex-husband's benefit amount. If his divorced spouse benefit would be significantly higher than your $1,875, remaining unmarried until you can claim it might be financially advantageous. The financial impact of this decision could be substantial over your lifetime, so definitely get those concrete numbers first!

I'm in a somewhat similar situation and wanted to share what I learned from my SSA appointment last month. Like you, I'm on SSDI and was considering remarriage but needed to understand the financial implications first. The key thing that helped me was getting actual dollar amounts rather than just general rules. When I met with SSA, they were able to pull up my ex-spouse's earnings record and show me exactly what my divorced spouse benefit would be at different ages (62 with reduction vs. full retirement age). In my case, it turned out my SSDI was actually higher than what I'd get from my ex-spouse, so remarriage wouldn't cost me anything financially. One tip: when you call or visit SSA, ask them to run the numbers for both scenarios - your current SSDI converting to retirement benefits vs. potential divorced spouse benefits from your first husband. They can usually do this calculation on the spot if they have both records available. Also, don't forget that if you do decide to remarry later and that marriage ends, you could still potentially claim on your first husband's record at that point since those rights don't disappear permanently. Good luck with getting your answers - I know how stressful this kind of uncertainty can be when you're trying to plan your future!

So glad to hear you got the correct information on your second call! This is exactly why we always recommend calling back if something doesn't sound right. The $600/month difference you mentioned is huge - that's over $7,200 more per year for the rest of your life. For anyone else reading this thread, this is a perfect example of why it's worth being persistent with SSA. Don't be afraid to call multiple times if you're getting conflicting information, especially on something as important as survivor benefits. The rules are complex and not all representatives are equally knowledgeable about every aspect. Thanks for updating us with your success story - it will definitely help other people in similar situations!

This is such a valuable thread for anyone dealing with survivor benefits! I'm a newcomer here but wanted to share that I had a similar experience last month. The first SSA rep I spoke with gave me completely wrong information about my survivor FRA (said it was 67 when it's actually 66 and 8 months for my birth year). Like others mentioned, calling back made all the difference. The second rep not only gave me the correct FRA but also explained that I could get the month-by-month breakdown showing different benefit amounts. She even walked me through when to apply to avoid any gaps in payments. It's frustrating that there's such inconsistency in the information provided, but this community really helps people navigate these challenges. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - it's clear that persistence is key when dealing with SSA!

This is such valuable information everyone is sharing! As someone who's navigating similar questions, I wanted to add that you might also want to check if your husband has any pension or retirement benefits that include survivor benefits. These can sometimes coordinate with Social Security in ways that affect your overall planning. Also, I learned that if you remarry before age 60, you lose eligibility for survivor benefits from your first husband, but if you remarry after 60, you can still claim them. It's another factor to consider in long-term planning. The complexity of all these rules really reinforces what others have said about getting professional advice and verifying information from multiple sources!

I just want to echo what everyone else has said about getting multiple opinions from SSA - I had a similar experience to @Evelyn Xu where the first agent I spoke with gave me completely incorrect information about my disability benefits. It took three different calls to three different agents before I got consistent, accurate answers. Now I always ask for reference numbers or documentation in writing when possible. Also, one thing I learned that might be helpful for your planning: if your husband is still working and earning credits, his benefit amount could still be increasing, which would also increase your potential survivor benefit. The SSA recalculates benefits annually if someone continues working past their FRA. So your planning numbers might actually improve over time if he's still in the workforce!