One other thing your sister should know - the survivor benefit is 100% of what he was receiving ONLY if she waits until her FRA. If she takes it early (even a month early), it's permanently reduced. The reduction can be as much as 28.5% if taken at age 60. And don't forget to ask about disabled widow benefits if she's disabled herself - different rules apply. The emotional toll of all this paperwork and decisions while grieving is just awful. Please encourage her to get everything in order now while he can help. Maybe even set up a specific file with all the documents she'll need later.

Something important that hasn't been mentioned yet: She should ask about her husband establishing a "protective filing date" for his SSDI application as soon as possible, even before they have all documentation ready. This preserves an earlier entitlement date, which could affect backpay and Medicare eligibility. And when the time comes for her survivor benefits, she should specifically mention the "LSDP" (Lump Sum Death Payment) - it's only $255 but many people don't know to ask for it. Also, she should inquire about her eligibility for disabled widow's benefits if she has any disability herself, as different rules apply. Finally, I'd suggest both of them look into setting up my.ssa.gov accounts now if they haven't already.

my sister said u can get retro payment up to 6 months when u file, so if u wait to file til 67.5 u still get paid from 67. not sure if that helps your plan??

One more point to consider: Once you start collecting your benefit, your wife can file for her spousal benefit, but she'll face a reduction for claiming before her own FRA. At 62, her spousal benefit would be reduced to about 35% of your PIA instead of the full 50% she'd get at her FRA. If you're doing calculations, make sure to account for this reduction since she's under full retirement age. The exact percentage depends on how many months before her FRA she files.

btw the 10 year marriage thing DOES matter for spousal benefits too not just divorce! make sure you mention that when you call

To add to the excellent advice already provided: Once your wife applies for the spousal top-up, the SSA will calculate what's called the "excess spousal benefit." This is the difference between 50% of your PIA and your wife's PIA (not her reduced benefit amount). Since you mentioned your wife started claiming at 70, that's past her FRA, so she won't face any reduction in the spousal amount. However, the WEP elimination adjustment creates an interesting timing question. My suggestion: Have your wife contact SSA now to establish her intent to file for spousal benefits. This can protect her retroactive date while waiting for WEP adjustments to be fully processed. The SSA can set a protective filing date even if you haven't applied for your own benefits yet.

If you're determined to maximize what you can get, here's what I'd suggest: 1. Consider working part-time to earn those final 3 quarters. In 2025, you need to earn about $1,640 per quarter to get a credit. So that's around $4,920 total to get your 40 quarters. 2. Once you have 40 quarters, you'd be eligible for your own benefit (though it will be small and reduced by WEP), but it might be more than what you'd get as a spouse after the GPO reduction. 3. Request a detailed benefits calculation from SSA. They can run the numbers with and without the additional credits to help you make an informed decision. 4. Make sure SSA has your complete earnings record. Sometimes quarters from decades ago can be missing, and you might actually be closer to 40 than you think. Additionally, both WEP and GPO have maximum reduction amounts, so in some scenarios, it might be worthwhile to understand exactly how these would impact your specific situation.

I want to thank everyone for all this helpful information. I'm going to try that Claimyr service mentioned above to actually speak with someone at SSA without the endless waiting and disconnections. I'm also going to look into part-time work to get those last 3 quarters - even if the benefit is small, it sounds better than nothing. The whole GPO situation is really disheartening. I had no idea my teaching career would end up reducing benefits I might have received through my husband's record. I wish there had been better retirement planning resources specifically for teachers when I was younger. If anyone has had success getting benefits despite GPO or has found other strategies, I'd still love to hear about them!

i tried that claimyr thing someone mentioned when i had a survivors benefits question last month and it actually worked. got through to ssa in like 20 mins instead of being on hold for hours. just saying it might save u a lot of time

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I'm going to try calling using that Claimyr service tomorrow morning, and if that doesn't work I'll write everything on paper and send it certified mail. I'll make sure to include all my info - SSN, contact details, my expected earnings, and a clear explanation. I'll update if I run into any more issues. Really appreciate all the help!