Thank you all for these helpful responses! I think I understand now that survivor benefits would be based on his Primary Insurance Amount rather than his reduced benefit, which is a relief. I'm going to try to speak with someone at SSA directly to confirm based on our specific situation. Hearing about that Claimyr service is helpful since the last time I tried calling SSA, I gave up after being on hold for over an hour.

I just wanted to add one thing - make SURE you keep a copy of your marriage certificate and divorce decree!!! My aunt went through this last year and SSA rejected her claim TWICE because they said they needed "original" copies even though she sent certified copies. The whole process took her 9 months to resolve and she almost lost her house waiting for the benefits to start!!! The system is HORRIBLE for widows and survivors!!!

my grandma got the same thing, its normal for women of that generation who didnt work outside the home. its def the spousal benefit and $900 sounds about right for someone that age who prob claimed years ago. the benefit increases every year with COLA but not by much.

Since both of your parents are in their 90s, it's also worth looking into whether your mother might qualify for a higher survivor benefit when your father passes away. The survivor benefit would be up to 100% of what your father receives (including his delayed retirement credits), which would be substantially higher than her current spousal benefit. This is important financial planning to consider at their ages. You might want to discuss this with a benefits specialist at SSA once you get through to them.

My friend just went thru this!!! The SSA made her payback like 7 months of benefits when she went back to work and it was a NIGHTMARE getting everything processed right. She said it would have been easier to just let them reduce her benefits based on her earnings instead of dealing with the withdrawal process. Just my 2 cents!

One last point to consider: if you withdraw your application and repay benefits, you're essentially resetting the clock. This means your future benefit amount will be higher when you claim again, especially if you wait until your Full Retirement Age (66 and 10 months for someone born in 1960) or even age 70. However, if you keep your current filing date and just work while receiving reduced benefits, you're stuck with that early filing reduction permanently (though partially offset by any months benefits are completely withheld). For someone still in good health with longevity in your family, withdrawing might be the better long-term financial decision if you can afford to repay the benefits now. I'd recommend using the calculators on ssa.gov to compare your lifetime benefits under each scenario based on how long you expect to live.

I had a similar issue with my ex-spousal benefits claim last month. After weeks of getting nowhere with the regular SSA number, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a representative without the endless hold times. They have a video demonstrating how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent I reached was actually able to see the specific exceptions on my claim and explained that one was related to my pension verification and the other was a system flag for the GPO repeal claims. They sent a message to the payment center requesting urgent resolution due to financial hardship, and my claim was processed within a week after that. The key is getting someone who will actually look at the specific exceptions rather than just giving generic information.

Just a quick update on GPO repeal claims - I've heard from several clients that SSA is now starting to process the backlog more quickly. Several people who applied in the first month after the repeal just received approval notices this week. It seems like the payment centers finally received complete processing instructions about two weeks ago. One thing that might help: make sure your online my Social Security account is set up with accurate contact information. Some payment centers are sending electronic messages there rather than paper notices for these claims.

My mom worked full time after claiming SS at her full retirement age and never had to pay anything back. Earnings test doesn't apply once you hit FRA!

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I feel so much better now understanding that since all my retroactive payments were for months AFTER I reached my full retirement age, the earnings test doesn't apply at all. I was getting myself all worked up after reading about someone who had to pay back benefits, but their situation must have been different. Really appreciate all the explanations!