Does anyone know if you'll get the increased benefits AUTOMATICALLY or do we have to reapply? I don't trust the SSA to just adjust everything properly!

My cousin works for the SS office and she told me that Jan. 1st 2026 is when the 100% starts not this year.

Since you mentioned your health isn't the best, here's another strategy to consider: Apply for reduced survivor benefits now, but ALSO apply for SSDI (disability benefits). If approved for SSDI, you'd receive your full retirement benefit amount without reduction. The SSDI approval process is lengthy and often involves appeals, but it's worth pursuing if your health condition is documented and severe enough to limit your ability to work. You can apply for both benefits simultaneously. This approach gives you some income now through survivor benefits while potentially securing your full retirement rate through SSDI if your health deteriorates further.

Thank you all for the helpful advice. I've scheduled an appointment with SSA (took forever to get through) to review my specific numbers. Going to get documentation of all my options before making a decision. I think I'm leaning toward taking the survivor benefit now and then switching to my own retirement benefit at 70, but I want to see the actual dollar amounts first. Will update once I have more information!

My aunt just went thru this exact thing last yr. SSA gave her a nice chunk of backpay for 6 months plus her monthly check went up by like $800 or something. She was so mad nobody told her sooner!

One more important point - when you call SSA, specifically ask for the "spousal benefit" or "spouse's benefit" by name. Sometimes if you just say you want to see if you can get a higher benefit, the representative might not check all options. Be sure to mention that your husband's benefit is significantly higher than yours and you believe you qualify for a spousal top-up benefit. Write down the name of the representative you speak with and ask for a confirmation number for your application.

MAKE SURE to specifically ask for the exact dollar amounts for claiming at different ages!!! Don't let them rush you! And when you sell your business, be careful about investing that money so it lasts. My friend lost half her husband's business sale money in risky investments and now she's really struggling.

One last thing - if you do decide to try for an SSA appointment, do it soon. Their backlog is horrendous right now and it can take weeks or even months to get an in-person meeting. You can try calling too, but be prepared to spend hours on hold if you can even get through. And definitely write down all your questions beforehand so you don't forget anything important when you finally talk to someone.

I've been through this exact situation! The first thing you should do is request a written PEBES statement showing the detailed calculation. Having everything in writing really helped me straighten out the discrepancy in my case. When I talked with Claimyr's customer service, they mentioned that a lot of their users are survivors dealing with similar benefit calculation issues. The SSA seems particularly prone to inconsistency with survivor benefits calculations for some reason.

Whatever you do, DON'T trust what they tell you over the phone!!! Get EVERYTHING in writing!!! When my husband passed, I got THREE different benefit amounts from THREE different reps, and the actual amount I received was LOWER than all three estimates! I was counting on that money and it created a real financial hardship. The SSA makes "mistakes" that conveniently always seem to save THEM money, not us! 😡