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.

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.

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.

i thought the earnings limit was $18,240? thats what my friend told me when i was thinking about applying early

Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I'll wait for the mid-October announcement before finalizing my work plans for next year. And I'll definitely check out those email updates. It's frustrating that they make this so complicated, but at least I understand it better now.

Just to add some technical detail here that might be helpful: The earnings test that limits benefits only applies in these situations: 1. If you're collecting benefits before your FRA, the annual earnings limit applies ($22,320 in 2024). 2. In the year you reach FRA, a higher limit applies only to earnings in the months BEFORE the month you reach FRA ($59,520 in 2024). 3. Once you reach FRA, there is NO earnings limit, period. Since you reached FRA in April 2024, and won't start benefits until February 2025, the earnings test doesn't affect you at all. The SSA collects this information from everyone because their forms are standardized and the same information is relevant to many other beneficiaries. Also, continuing to work might actually increase your benefit amount if these earnings are higher than some earlier years used in your benefit calculation.

Thanks everyone for your helpful responses! I'm going to finish my application now with a lot more confidence. It sounds like this is just standard procedure and nothing to worry about since I'll be well past my FRA when I start collecting in February. Really appreciate all the explanations!