Social Security Administration
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Social Security survivor benefits experience - surprisingly helpful agent for terminal illness situation
My wife was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer last month, and I've been overwhelmed trying to understand what Social Security benefits we should be preparing for. After putting it off for weeks because I was dreading the bureaucracy, I finally called SSA yesterday expecting the worst. I was shocked when I got a callback within two hours! The agent had 28 years experience and not only answered everything I asked about survivor benefits but also explained several things I hadn't even considered about Medicare and disability options. He said there's currently a 7-8 week wait for application appointments, but benefits would be backdated to my initial contact date. I just wanted to share this positive experience for anyone else putting off making that call because of anxiety. The agent was incredibly patient and compassionate about our situation. Made me feel less terrified about navigating this part of our journey.
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Taking Social Security now vs waiting 69 weeks until FRA - is $130 monthly difference worth the wait?
I've been planning my retirement and I'm stuck on when to start my Social Security benefits. I could start now OR wait exactly 69 weeks and 1 day until I hit my Full Retirement Age (and yes, I am literally counting down the days!). The difference in monthly payments would be about $130 more if I wait until FRA. I've done the math and honestly could live comfortably on what I'd get now. I understand the application process takes about 3 months to go through, so the actual payment would start later anyway. I know the standard advice is usually "wait if you can" but is it really worth delaying for over a year just for $130/month? Has anyone made a similar choice and regretted it or been happy with their decision? Any perspectives would be appreciated!
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another thing - inflation. that $130 diffrence will be worth less in 10 yrs anyway
Social Security benefits receive annual Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) that are tied to inflation. So while the purchasing power of $130 might decrease over time, the actual dollar amount of the difference would increase with each COLA adjustment.
Thank you all for the thoughtful responses! I've decided to go ahead and apply for benefits now instead of waiting. The break-even analysis and the point about enjoying the money while I'm still active enough to use it for travel and hobbies really resonated with me. I've started the application online yesterday and hopefully it goes smoothly. I appreciate all the different perspectives!
Good luck with your application! Remember to check your MySSA account regularly for updates on the processing status. If you have any issues, calling early in the morning (right when they open) usually means shorter wait times.
Will my wife's WEP-reduced Social Security benefit increase to 50% of mine when WEP is eliminated?
I'm trying to figure out how the WEP elimination might benefit my wife. Currently, she receives a relatively small SS benefit (about $640/month) that's been reduced by the Windfall Elimination Provision because of her teacher's pension. I've heard Congress is planning to phase out WEP, and I'm wondering if this means she could switch to collecting 50% of my benefit instead? My full retirement benefit is around $2,850/month, so 50% would be a significant increase for her. Does anyone know if eliminating WEP would automatically qualify her for the spousal benefit, or are these completely separate issues? I've tried calling SSA twice but got disconnected both times after waiting over an hour.
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Just wanted to add that you should definitely run multiple scenarios with SSA once the legislation is finalized. In my case, we discovered that my wife was actually better off with her WEP-reduced benefit than the spousal benefit after GPO. The math gets tricky and depends on your specific work history and pension amounts.
Excellent point. And remember that the repeal bills currently being considered have different implementation timelines - some propose immediate full repeal while others phase it out over 5-10 years. This could significantly affect your planning, especially if either of you is nearing 70 when delayed retirement credits max out.
Taking survivor benefits at 65 while working part-time - delaying own SS until 70?
I'm struggling with making a smart decision about my SS benefits after losing my husband recently. I'm currently 65 and still working full-time, but thinking about scaling back to part-time for my mental health. I understand I might be eligible for survivor benefits now while delaying my own retirement benefits until I turn 70. My husband started collecting his Social Security at his Full Retirement Age before he passed. We were married for over 23 years. I'm wondering if it makes financial sense to: 1) Take the survivor benefit now while continuing to work part-time 2) Let my own retirement benefit grow until I reach 70 I make about $58,000 annually at my full-time job but would drop to around $29,000 if I go part-time. Would the earnings limit affect my survivor benefits? Is this delay strategy actually beneficial in my situation? I've heard conflicting advice and the SSA website is confusing me more than helping.
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This has been super informative, everyone. I'm in a similar situation (62, widowed last year) but I'm confused about one thing. My husband took his benefits early at 62. Does that affect how much I can get as a survivor benefit? Someone told me I'd only get what he was getting when he died, which was reduced because he filed early.
Yes, your survivor benefit is based on what your husband was receiving when he died. Since he filed early at 62, his benefit was reduced by about 30% from what it would have been at his FRA. Your survivor benefit will be based on that reduced amount. However, if you wait until your FRA to claim the survivor benefit, you can get 100% of what he was receiving. If you claim before your FRA, your survivor benefit will be further reduced based on your age. But the strategy of claiming survivor benefits and then switching to your own retirement benefit at 70 can still be advantageous, especially if your own work record is strong.
Thank you all for the detailed advice! I'm going to move forward with applying for the survivor benefit while continuing to work part-time, and I'll definitely bring documentation about restricting my application to ONLY the survivor benefit. I'll also print out the relevant SSA rules just in case. I think this makes the most sense for my situation - I'll get some income from the survivor benefit now (even with the earnings test reduction), and then switch to my maximized retirement benefit at 70. Seems like the best of both worlds if I can get SSA to process it correctly. And if I can't get through to them by phone, I'll definitely check out that Claimyr service. Thanks again for all your help!
Trying to understand my 90-year-old mom's $900 Social Security benefit - is it spousal?
I'm trying to figure out what type of Social Security benefit my mom (90) is receiving. She gets about $900/month but never worked outside the home and has no work credits of her own. My dad (92) also receives Social Security, and they're both still living together. Is her benefit a spousal benefit based on my dad's work record? If so, shouldn't it be higher than $900? I thought spousal benefits were supposed to be 50% of the worker's benefit, and I know dad gets more than $1800/month. Or could this be some other type of SS payment? I'm helping them organize their finances and want to make sure they're getting everything they're entitled to.
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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.
That's really helpful information - I didn't know survivor benefits would include dad's delayed retirement credits. That would more than double mom's benefit if he passes first. I'll definitely discuss this with SSA when I call them. Thank you!
Nina Chan
Just want to say sending prayers to you and your wife. This stuff is so hard to deal with on top of everything else.
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Ruby Knight
Has anyone mentioned the fact that you might have choices about WHEN to take survivor benefits? Like if you have your own work record, sometimes it's better to take your own retirement at 62 and then switch to survivor benefits at FRA, or vice versa. The rules changed in 2015 but some options still exist. My financial advisor helped me figure this out and it meant about $45,000 more over my lifetime!
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Logan Stewart
This is a critical point. Survivor benefits have more flexible claiming options than regular retirement benefits post-2015. You can still take one benefit type early and switch to the other later to maximize lifetime benefits. For example, if you're younger than FRA, you might take reduced survivor benefits and then switch to your own unreduced retirement benefit at 70 (when it maxes out). Or the reverse could be better depending on your respective earnings records. This can mean tens of thousands of dollars difference over a lifetime.
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