One final consideration: Double-check when your FRA actually is for survivor benefits. For retirement benefits, FRA for someone born in 1962 is 67. But for survivor benefits, the FRA can be different - it could be 66 and 10 months. This small difference matters for planning purposes if you want to completely avoid the earnings test.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Sofia. Losing a spouse at such a young age is heartbreaking, and navigating all these complex benefit rules while grieving just adds to the burden. Your strategy sounds solid based on what others have shared. I wanted to add one thing that might help with the SSA communication frustration - if you have a local SSA office, sometimes scheduling an in-person appointment can be more productive than trying to get through on the phone. You can use their online appointment system at ssa.gov, and having face-to-face time with someone who can pull up your records and walk through scenarios might give you more confidence in your planning. Also, since you mentioned your wife had about 25 years of SS-covered employment before switching to teaching, her benefit calculation should be pretty straightforward without WEP complications on her record. That's good news for your survivor benefit amount. Take care of yourself through this process - it's a lot to figure out, but you're asking all the right questions.

One other important thing to know - you need to be unmarried when you apply for ex-spouse benefits. If you remarry, you generally can't collect on a former spouse's record unless your later marriage ends by death, divorce, or annulment. Also, claiming on your ex's record has no effect on what they receive. Some people worry about this, but your ex will never even know you've applied for benefits on their record.

Just wanted to add something that hasn't been mentioned yet - if you're eligible for benefits on multiple ex-spouses' records (if you had other marriages that lasted 10+ years), Social Security will automatically pay you the highest amount. You don't have to choose between them. Also, there's a little-known rule that if your ex-spouse dies, you may be eligible for survivor benefits instead of spousal benefits, which could be up to 100% of what they were receiving (compared to the 50% maximum for spousal benefits). Just something to keep in mind for future planning. The whole system is definitely confusing, but it sounds like you're in a good position with your 12-year marriage and your ex already collecting!

After reading all the comments, I think the most likely explanations are: 1. Underpaid benefits that were calculated after her death 2. Her final month's benefit payment 3. Some form of auxiliary or survivor benefit your husband qualified for The fact that it's $563 rules out the lump-sum death benefit, as that's exactly $255. And the fact it came without paperwork and 6 months later is unusual for any of these scenarios. When you do reach SSA, make sure to have your MIL's SSN, death certificate info, and your husband's ID ready. Ask specifically what type of payment this is and whether there are any more expected. Also confirm if this impacts any benefits your husband might claim in the future.

I work at a local SSA field office and can shed some light on this. The $563 amount and 6-month delay strongly suggests this is either: 1) A retroactive benefit adjustment (like if your MIL was underpaid due to a calculation error that was discovered after death), or 2) A final benefit payment that got delayed in processing. The lump-sum death benefit is always exactly $255, so that's definitely not what this is. Since your husband was her next of kin and she had no surviving spouse, any unpaid benefits would legally go to him. My advice: Don't cash it until you get clarification, but also don't panic - this kind of posthumous payment isn't uncommon. When you call SSA, ask for the "payment explanation" and request they mail you documentation showing what the payment represents. If you can't get through by phone, you can also visit your local field office with the uncashed check and they can look it up immediately.

To answer your question definitively: Yes, you are thinking correctly. The MySocialSecurity portal currently does not display survivor benefit application status or payment information. This is a known limitation of their system. For survivor benefits, you will receive all official communications through postal mail, including: - Application receipt confirmation - Requests for additional documentation - Benefit amount determination - Payment start notification - Annual COLA adjustments If you're concerned about mail delivery, I recommend: 1. Setting up direct deposit for payments 2. Calling the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 for status updates (though wait times are substantial) 3. Considering an in-person appointment for critical issues The SSA has acknowledged this limitation but has not announced any timeline for adding survivor benefit tracking to their online portal.

Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I've set up USPS Informed Delivery as suggested and will try using Claimyr to reach SSA by phone. It's disappointing that the online system doesn't show survivor benefits in 2025, but at least I know what to expect now. I'll make sure to watch my mail carefully and follow up if I don't hear anything in the next couple weeks.

NOT DEFENDING THEM but just so everyone knows - when you file for a spousal benefit based on an ex's record, that benefit COMES FROM their earnings record. So while they shouldn't be sharing your contact info AT ALL (that's 100% wrong), they do sometimes have to acknowledge that someone is collecting on the record when the primary beneficiary files. BUT GIVING OUT PHONE NUMBERS AND ADDRESSES IS NEVER OK!!!!!!

This is absolutely unacceptable and I'm so sorry you're dealing with this violation of your privacy! As someone new to this community, I'm shocked to learn that SSA employees would disclose such sensitive personal information to an ex-spouse. From what I'm reading in these responses, it sounds like you have strong grounds for filing complaints. The fact that they gave him your phone number and current location is particularly egregious - there's no legitimate reason for that information to be shared, especially given the potential safety concerns for people escaping abusive relationships. I hope the formal complaint process works out for you and that SSA takes this seriously. It's clear from other comments here that this isn't an isolated incident, which makes it even more important that you pursue this. Thank you for sharing your experience - it's helping others understand what could happen and how to protect themselves. Stay strong and don't let them brush this off as a "minor mistake" - what happened to you was a serious breach of federal privacy protections.