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my mom got confused about this too ended up leaving like $20k on the table over the yrs cause nobody explaind it right
OK, now I think I understand all this correctly. To summarize: 1. I'll get my own benefit ($1,400) plus a top-off to reach half of my husband's FRA benefit ($1,600 total). 2. The $1,911 figure is irrelevant to my situation. 3. My husband must file for his benefits before I can claim any spousal benefits. 4. If I claim before my FRA, both parts of my benefit get reduced. 5. The spousal benefit is based on my husband's FRA amount, not his actual payment if he delays. Did I get all this right? I feel so much more prepared for my SSA appointment now!
You've got it exactly right! Print out this summary and take it to your appointment. One last tip: when you do apply, specifically mention that you're applying for "all benefits you're eligible for" including retirement and spousal benefits. Sometimes if you don't explicitly mention both, they might not process the spousal portion right away, which can delay your full payment.
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Has anyone mentioned yet that you should check if you're eligible for the lump-sum death benefit? It's only $255 but hey, money is money! Though after 12 years they might say it's too late for that particular benefit.
Unfortunately, the $255 death payment must be applied for within two years of death in most cases, so that's likely not available anymore. But definitely worth asking about when speaking with SSA just in case there are exceptions!
Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice! I'm going to try to contact SSA directly to discuss my specific situation. Sounds like I should probably wait until I'm either closer to 60 or possibly even until my full retirement age given my current income. I appreciate all the information about the different options and considerations - this is way more complicated than I thought it would be!
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Thank you all SO much for these detailed explanations. This makes much more sense now. I'm going to call SSA again and specifically request a comparison between my survivor benefit at FRA and my own benefit projected to age 70. I'll make sure to ask for someone in the survivor benefits department too. It sounds like my best approach is to: 1. Take survivor benefits at my FRA (Feb 2025) 2. Let my own benefit grow until 70 3. Switch to my own benefit at 70 *only if* it exceeds the survivor benefit I feel so much more confident now! I'll update when I get the actual numbers from SSA.
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One other thing to consider - will your current spouse's benefit be higher than what you'd get from your ex's record? If so, you might want to just stick with that when you reach full retirement age. SSA won't necessarily tell you which option is better financially, so you need to ask specific questions about potential amounts. I almost missed out on thousands by not comparing my options!
That's an excellent point I hadn't considered. My current wife is 58 and still working, with a somewhat higher income than I had. I'll definitely need to compare all possibilities to see which would give the best benefit. This whole system is so complicated!
One more important note: survivors benefits can be claimed as early as age 60 (unlike retirement benefits which start at 62), but taking them early will permanently reduce the monthly amount. At 62, you'd receive about 81.2% of what you'd get at your full retirement age. Sometimes it makes financial sense to claim survivor benefits early and then switch to your own retirement benefit later (or vice versa). This strategy can maximize your lifetime benefits.
I had no idea about this option to switch between different benefits! So I could potentially take the survivor benefit now and then switch to my own retirement benefit later if that would be higher? That's definitely something I need to look into more. Thank you for this valuable information.
Oliver Zimmermann
DONT TRUST THE SSA CALCULATORS they haven't updated them properly with all the rule changes. My neighbor used it and got a completely wrong estimate. Then when she went to apply they told her something completely different. TYPICAL GOVERNMENT INCOMPETENCE!!!!
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Natasha Volkova
•While the online calculators provide estimates rather than exact amounts, they're generally reliable for basic planning. For complex scenarios involving spousal benefits and early filing, it's always best to speak directly with an SSA representative who can access your complete earnings record and provide personalized calculations. The main limitation with the calculators is that they require you to manually input your earnings history and may not perfectly account for all the nuances of combined retirement/spousal benefit calculations when early filing is involved. They're a good starting point, but not the final word for complex situations.
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GalaxyGuardian
Thank you all so much for the helpful responses! This is much more complicated than I thought, but I understand better now. I'm going to run some calculations to see whether taking my small benefit early is worth the permanent reduction to my eventual spousal benefit. Since we have some savings, I might be able to wait until my FRA. I'll definitely try to speak with SSA directly to get exact numbers for my situation before making a final decision.
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