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Social Security survivor benefits at 65 - will I get my deceased husband's full SSDI amount?
I'm trying to make sense of what happened in my meeting with SSA yesterday. My husband passed away last year after receiving SSDI for about 6 years. I'm turning 65 next month and decided to apply for survivor benefits. When I met with the claims specialist, they told me I would receive the full amount of my husband's disability benefit ($2,780/month). This confused me because I thought survivor benefits would be reduced since I'm filing before my full retirement age (which is 67 for me). Isn't there supposed to be a reduction for taking survivor benefits early? I've read so many articles about this and I'm pretty sure what the SSA rep told me doesn't sound right. I'd hate to budget based on the higher amount only to get less when payments start. Has anyone else dealt with survivor benefits from SSDI? Am I missing something about how this works?
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Social Security and 2024 taxes - do I include Jan-May wages if I started SS at FRA in June?
I just hit my full retirement age (FRA) last month and started collecting Social Security benefits on June 1st. I worked from January through May this year, then retired exactly when I reached FRA. My question is about taxes - when filing 2024 taxes next year, do I need to include those 5 months of wages (Jan-May) when calculating if my Social Security benefits are taxable? Or do those wages somehow get excluded since they were earned before I started collecting? I'm trying to figure out if I'm going to owe taxes on my SS benefits and getting conflicting advice from friends who've been through this. Any insight would be appreciated!
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my aunt said u should also look at state taxes cuz some states tax SS and some dont!!! depends where u live
That's an excellent point about state taxation. Currently, 12 states tax Social Security benefits to some extent: Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia. Each has different thresholds and exemptions. The remaining 38 states and DC don't tax Social Security benefits at all.
One strategy to consider for future years (won't help for 2024): if you have the ability to control income sources, you might be able to stay below the taxation thresholds. For example, taking distributions from Roth accounts (which aren't counted in the combined income formula) rather than traditional IRAs, or timing certain investment decisions. This requires advance planning but can reduce the tax impact on your Social Security benefits.
I wish I'd learned about all this BEFORE I retired! I have some money in a Roth that I could have relied on more this year to stay under the threshold. Will definitely plan better for 2025. Thanks for the strategic advice.
Can I get widow benefit estimates from Social Security at 56 before eligible at 60?
I lost my wife to cancer 6 years ago when she was only 47. I'm currently 56 and trying to plan ahead for retirement. I know I can claim survivor benefits as early as 60, but I'm wondering if it's too soon to contact Social Security to get an estimate of what those benefits might be? My late wife didn't work as many years as I have, so I'm pretty sure her benefit would be lower than mine. My thinking is to maybe take the survivor benefit at 60, then switch to my own (higher) benefit at my FRA. Would appreciate any advice on whether SSA will give me these estimates now or if I need to wait until closer to 60. Really just trying to get my financial ducks in a row for the next few years.
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I was in a similar situation but reversed (I'm female). Started widow benefits at 60 and they were about 70% of what I would've gotten at FRA. But it was worth it for me because I needed the income. One thing no one mentioned - if you're planning to work past 60 while collecting, remember those benefits will be reduced if you earn over the limit (which was around $19k when I started but is higher now). For every $2 over the limit, they take $1 from your benefits.
That's really helpful to know about the exact percentage reduction! I am planning to keep working, so I'll need to calculate carefully whether taking reduced benefits at 60 makes sense with the earnings limit. Do you know if the money they withhold due to excess earnings is permanently lost, or do they adjust your benefit amount later?
Good question about withheld benefits due to excess earnings! Those benefits aren't permanently lost. Once you reach your Full Retirement Age, Social Security will recalculate your benefit amount to give you credit for the months when benefits were withheld. It's essentially a recoupment over time. But also consider: if your own retirement benefit will ultimately be higher than the widow benefit, and you plan to switch to your own benefit at FRA anyway, it might be worth analyzing whether taking a reduced widow benefit that's further reduced by the earnings test makes financial sense. Sometimes waiting until you're closer to FRA or working part-time to stay under the earnings limit can be more advantageous.
That's excellent information! I didn't realize they recalculate at FRA. I'll need to do some math to figure out the optimal strategy for my situation. Really appreciate all this knowledge - it's helping me understand my options much better.
When should higher-earning spouse claim Social Security with WEP-affected spouse & family longevity?
I've been doing some retirement planning and keep second-guessing my Social Security filing strategy. I'm the higher income earner in our household (est. PIA around $3,200/month) and my husband's benefits are affected by Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) since he worked for a state government that didn't pay into Social Security. He's currently at 35 quarters of coverage and might reach 40 quarters before we retire, but it's not guaranteed. My family has serious longevity genes - my mother is 87 and still traveling internationally, and both grandmothers lived past 95. However, I've had some cardiac issues that required surgery last year. I'm currently 57 and planning to stop working around 62, with sufficient 401k/IRA assets to cover expenses until whenever I decide to take SS benefits. My husband is 54 (three years younger) and will likely retire when I do. Given my family longevity but personal health concerns, plus my husband's WEP situation, when should I claim? The math seems to favor delaying until 70 for the 8% annual increases, but I'm drawn to claiming earlier since my retirement assets could be inherited by my children if unused, while unclaimed SS benefits just disappear if I die before claiming. Does anyone have experience with this specific situation?
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Just my 2 cents - everybody's situation is different. My wife and I decided I'd file at 62 and she'd wait til 70 since her benefit was bigger. Worked great for us, we're 15 years into retirement and no regrets. Health problems can change everything tho so dont just think about the math, think about QUALITY OF LIFE!!
That's a good perspective, thank you. Were there any unexpected issues you ran into with your strategy that I should be aware of? Did your wife's larger benefit at 70 end up being worth the wait?
Absolutely worth it! Her benefit at 70 was nearly DOUBLE what it would've been at 62. The only surprise was Medicare premiums - they're higher than we expected and keep going up every year. But having one bigger check helps with that.
Has anyone mentioned survivor benefits yet? This is HUGE in your planning! When one spouse dies, the surviving spouse basically continues with the HIGHER of the two benefit amounts. So if you delay till 70 and get say $4200/month, then pass away, your husband would get that $4200/month for the rest of HIS life (assuming it's higher than his own benefit). So even if you delay and don't live super long, your husband could benefit from your higher amount for DECADES, especially with that 3 year age difference. This is especially important with his WEP situation limiting his own benefit.
This is so important! My friend's husband delayed till 70 then died at 74. She was devastated BUT she's now getting his maximum benefit at age 82 and will for many more years. His delaying ended up being a gift to her.
Social Security denied my Child-in-Care claim because my disabled daughter attends day program - is this correct?
I'm so frustrated with Social Security right now! I had my phone appointment yesterday to apply for Child-in-Care benefits since I care for my adult daughter who has autism, intellectual disabilities and seizures. The claims rep shut me down almost immediately when I mentioned my income (I make about $84K per year). I understand there's an earnings limit, but after pushing for more explanation, I realized I might actually qualify next year when I reach my FRA since the earnings test works differently then. But here's what really bothers me: When I explained that my daughter needs substantial care (I help her with medications, appointments, daily living tasks, etc.), the rep said I couldn't qualify because my daughter attends a day program 3 days a week. The rep literally said I would need to be with her "24/7" and that "the person has to practically be an invalid" to qualify! That can't be right? My daughter needs continuous supervision and substantial assistance even though she can do some basic tasks. She can't be left alone safely due to her seizures. The day program actually has medical staff on site for her seizure management. I've looked at some POMS guidelines online and they don't seem to require 24/7 care to qualify. Has anyone successfully gotten Child-in-Care benefits while their disabled adult child attended a day program or school? Am I misunderstanding the rules here? I feel like the rep was just looking for quick reasons to deny me without fully understanding my situation.
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One more thing I forgot to mention - when you call back, try to use their exact terminology. Instead of just saying your daughter "needs care" or "has disabilities," be specific about the "exercise of parental control and responsibility" and that you "provide personal services, supervision and direction" - those are the exact phrases from their policy manual that they're trained to look for.
That's incredibly helpful! I'll make sure to use those specific phrases. I wasn't prepared for how technical the conversation would be last time.
Hugh Intensity
One more important thing to consider: If you're still working, the earnings test might apply until you reach your FRA. In 2025, you can earn up to $22,150 without any reduction in benefits. Above that, they withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 earned. Are you still working, and if so, do you earn above this threshold?
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Everett Tutum
AuthorI retired from teaching last year, so the earnings test won't be an issue for me. But that's really good information for others to know! I had no idea there was an earnings limit for survivor benefits.
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Effie Alexander
I called back to SSA three times and got three slightly different answers about my survivor benefits. The third rep finally took the time to do the actual calculation with me on the phone and explain each step. Don't be afraid to keep calling until you get someone who will take the time to go through the full calculation with you so you understand exactly what you'll be receiving.
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Lydia Santiago
THIS RIGHT HERE!!!! Its like playing the lottery trying to get a SSA person who actually knows what they're doing!!! I called FIVE TIMES about my widower benefits and kept track of who told me what! HUGE differences in what they said I should get!!!
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