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Will taking SS benefits at 64 reduce future survivor benefits from husband's higher earnings?
Recently laid off from my teaching position at 63 (turning 64 next month) and I'm debating whether to start my Social Security benefits early. I know I'll get approximately 13.3% less than my full retirement amount since I'm about 3 years shy of my FRA of 67. My husband is the primary breadwinner and just turned 67, but he's adamant about waiting until 70 to maximize his benefits (which will be about $3,450/month). My big concern: If I start SS early and my husband passes away before me, would my survivor benefits be permanently reduced because I claimed early? Or would I still get 100% of what he was receiving? I'm really struggling with this decision because the extra income would help now, but I don't want to shoot myself in the foot long-term if something happens to him. Has anyone navigated this situation before? What factors should I be weighing here?
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Can I get Social Security survivor benefits after ex-spouse's death if divorced less than 2 years?
My former wife passed away unexpectedly last month. She was receiving SSDI benefits at the time of her death. Our divorce was finalized 22 months ago, so we'd been divorced for less than 2 years. I'm 62 years old now and remarried when I was 61. I've been searching online about survivor benefits for ex-spouses and thought I read somewhere that you need to be divorced for at least 2 years to qualify for any kind of widower benefits. I've spent hours on the SSA website but can't find anything specific about this 2-year divorce requirement. Does anyone know if this 2-year rule is real? And does my remarriage after 60 still allow me to claim anything based on her record? Any help would be appreciated!
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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.
Can I claim Social Security survivors benefits from ex-husband who died at 67? I'm 40 and remarried
My ex-husband passed away a few months ago at age 67. We were married for 13 years before we divorced, and I've since remarried. I just turned 40 last month and was wondering if I'm eligible for any survivors benefits from his Social Security record? I heard from a friend that ex-spouses can sometimes get benefits, but I'm not sure if my current marriage affects this or if I'm too young. I've tried calling the SSA three times this week but keep getting disconnected after waiting for over an hour. Has anyone dealt with a similar situation or know what the rules are for ex-spouse survivor benefits?
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The WHOLE system is designed to make us fail!!! I filed for my own retirement at 62 and got a PATHETIC amount because I took time off to raise kids. Meanwhile my ex will get FULL benefits even though I supported HIM through graduate school!! The system is COMPLETELY unfair to women, especially those of us who divorced before our spouses hit their peak earning years!!!
While I understand your frustration, there are some provisions that help in situations like yours. If you were married 10+ years, you can claim spousal benefits on your ex's record (up to 50% of their benefit) if that would be higher than your own benefit, even if you're divorced. This specifically helps people who had lower earnings due to family caregiving. You can contact SSA to see if you might qualify for a higher benefit amount through this provision.
My neighbor was in kinda the same boat and she ended up just focusing on building her own retirement instead. Probably better in the long run anyway.
You're right - that's what I'll need to do. I've got a good job now and have been contributing to my 401k, so I'll just keep focusing on that. It was worth asking though!
Will Social Security reduce my FRA benefit with 20-year gap in earnings and foreign pension after WEP repeal?
Hi everyone, I'm trying to figure out my retirement situation and feeling a bit confused about how my unusual work history will affect my Social Security benefits. I'm 66 now and still employed, but my earnings record looks like Swiss cheese - I've got earnings from 1981-1990, then absolutely nothing from 1991-2011 (I was working in Australia during that time and contributing to their retirement system), then back to US earnings from 2012 until now (2024). I definitely have my 40 credits, but I'm worried about the 35-year calculation since I have this massive gap. Will my estimated retirement benefit shown on my Social Security statement get slashed when I reach my FRA? Also, since the WEP repeal passed, does anyone know if there are other potential reductions I should worry about because of my foreign pension from Australia? I keep hearing different things from different people and it's driving me nuts.
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Don't forget that overseas earnings might count toward US Social Security under certain totalization agreements. I think Australia has one with the US. You should check if some of those foreign years might actually count toward your US benefit.
Good point about totalization agreements, but there's an important distinction to make here. These agreements allow earnings in foreign countries to count toward eligibility (the 40 credits/quarters requirement), but they don't actually increase the amount of your benefit. The OP already has their 40 credits, so totalization won't help increase their benefit amount.
Thanks everyone for your helpful responses! This has been really educational. So it sounds like my statement estimate already factors in my zero years, which is a relief. And with WEP repealed, I won't see a reduction based on my Australian pension. Each year I work now basically replaces a zero year in my calculation, which should boost my benefit. I'll try to get through to SSA to confirm all this (maybe using that Claimyr service if I can't get through the normal channels). Really appreciate all your insights!
good luck! just dont expect to get rich on SS lol
Can I collect both my deceased husband's Social Security benefits AND my own retirement benefits at FRA?
I'm currently 62 and receiving survivor benefits from my husband who passed away 3 years ago. His benefit amount is about $2,100/month. I worked for almost 30 years myself, but I took the survivor benefit because it was higher than what I'd get from my own work record when I checked. Recently at a family gathering, my cousin (who just retired) told me that when I reach my full retirement age (67 for me), I can actually collect BOTH my survivor benefits AND my own retirement benefits at the same time. This sounds too good to be true! Another friend said something similar but mentioned age 65 instead. Can someone clarify if this is actually possible? Can you really collect both benefits simultaneously at some point? Or are my relatives confused and you can only ever receive one benefit (whichever is higher)? I don't want to count on extra income that isn't actually going to materialize.
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just wondering, how much would your own benefit be at 67? is it close to the survivor benefit or way less?
Based on my last statement, my benefit at 67 would be around $1,850 - so still less than the $2,100 survivor benefit I'm getting. But I'm curious what it might grow to by 70 with delayed credits.
Since you mentioned specific numbers in your reply to another comment ($1,850 for your benefit at FRA vs $2,100 survivor benefit), let me add some helpful math: By delaying your retirement benefit from 67 to 70, you'd get an additional 8% per year for 3 years (24% total increase). That would potentially make your own benefit around $2,294 at age 70 ($1,850 × 1.24), which would exceed your current survivor benefit. This is exactly the type of situation where the switching strategy could benefit you. You could continue receiving the survivor benefit until 70, then switch to your own (higher) retirement benefit for the rest of your life. Definitely worth discussing with an SSA representative to get exact figures based on your earnings record.
Thank you SO much for doing this calculation! This is incredibly helpful. I had no idea my benefit could grow that much by waiting until 70. I think I definitely need to talk to SSA to confirm these numbers, but this gives me a much clearer picture of my options.
Esteban Tate
ANYONE else notice how IMPOSSIBLE it is to get correct information from SSA these days?!?! I swear every rep tells you something different! My neighbor filed last year and got told THREE different things about how her pension would affect her SS benefit! The whole system is a mess!!
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Sergio Neal
The WEP and GPO rules regarding pensions are exceptionally complicated, so I'm not surprised your neighbor got inconsistent information. Those provisions (Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset) have very complex calculations that many SSA representatives struggle with. Always best to get information in writing or speak with a technical expert at SSA for those situations.
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Savanna Franklin
to answer that other persons question YES u can wait to take survivor benefits even if already getting ur own. my sister was getting her own SS when her husband died last year and the SS person told her she could wait til her FRA to switch to survivors to get the full amount. shes 63 now and waiting til 67 to switch
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Alice Pierce
That's correct. This is one of the few remaining planning opportunities after the 2015 law changes. You can choose when to take survivor benefits independent of your retirement benefits. So in the original poster's case, she could take reduced retirement benefits now, and if her husband passed away, she could either: 1. Switch to survivor benefits immediately (at a reduction if before FRA) 2. Wait until FRA to switch to full survivor benefits The best choice depends on the benefit amounts and her financial needs at that time.
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