Quick clarification on your question about your husband's early retirement affecting your survivor benefits: Since your husband claimed at 62 and passed at 65 (before his FRA), your maximum survivor benefit would be the higher of: 1. The benefit he was receiving when he died (reduced for his early claiming) 2. 82.5% of his Primary Insurance Amount (what he would've gotten at his FRA) However, this maximum amount will then be reduced by the GPO (2/3 of your government pension). And if you claim before your survivor FRA (66 and 10 months), it would be further reduced for early claiming. The claiming strategy gets quite complex with GPO involved. If your government pension is substantial, it might wipe out most or all of your survivor benefit regardless of when you claim.

have u checked if there was a lump sum death benefit? its only $255 but its something. also did u get the check for the month he died? my FIL died on the 29th and they took back his last payment because they said he wasnt alive the whole month which seemed really unfair

i had something like this happen but then realized it was cuz they were showing me different ages!! my estimate at 62 vs 64 vs full retirement age were all different numbers! double check which age its showing you the estimate for

I wanted to add that the Social Security Administration also periodically updates their actuarial assumptions and projection methodologies. This can affect how they calculate future benefits even if your earnings record hasn't changed. For 2025, they've made some technical adjustments to how they project future benefits based on current data. This is separate from COLA and affects estimates, not current payments. If you want complete certainty, you can request a detailed earnings statement by filing Form SSA-7004 (Request for Social Security Statement) or by creating/logging into your my Social Security account online to verify all your earnings are correctly recorded.

just wanna say make SURE ur actually eligible for ex-spouse survivor benefits!!! the ssa worker told me you have to have been married at least 10 yrs AND not remarried before age 60 to get them. sounds like u qualify but double check!!

I want to emphasize something important that nobody has mentioned yet. When you apply, make it CRYSTAL CLEAR to SSA that you are applying ONLY for surviving divorced spouse benefits. Some SSA representatives will automatically process your application as applying for all benefits you're eligible for, which would force you to take your reduced retirement benefit now too (deemed filing). This defeats your entire strategy. Use the specific language: "I want to restrict my application to survivor benefits only." Get the representative's name and make notes of your conversation.

Thank you all for the helpful responses! This is much clearer now. I'm going to gather my documents (birth certificate, divorce decrees, etc.) and try to reach SSA. I'll definitely check out that Claimyr service since calling SSA directly has been so frustrating. One last question - once I start receiving benefits from one ex-spouse, if the other ex gets a big raise or promotion years later, can I switch to claiming on their record instead? Or am I locked into my initial choice?

oh and dont forget bout taxes! up to 85% of SS can be taxable if ur other income is high enuf. caught me by surprise first year

my neighbor had same issue and got it fixed but it was a huge headache and they only gave her like 6 months of backpay even tho she shoulda been getting the higher amount for years. good luck dealing with the ssa lol

One additional point that hasn't been mentioned: When your mother transitions to survivor benefits after your father passes away (I know that's not pleasant to think about, but it's important for planning), she would become eligible for up to 100% of his benefit amount, not just the 50% spousal benefit. This is particularly relevant given your father's health concerns. For the current situation, I recommend taking these specific steps: 1. Gather their Social Security statements showing exact benefit amounts 2. Locate their marriage certificate 3. Find documentation showing when each began receiving benefits 4. Contact SSA with a specific request for a "spousal benefit recalculation" 5. Be prepared to complete form SSA-795 (Statement of Claimant) explaining when you discovered this potential oversight If you encounter resistance about receiving more than 6 months of retroactive benefits, ask specifically about "administrative finality" exceptions, which can sometimes extend this period in cases where SSA may have made an error.