my financial advisor told me that for most widows its usually best to take survivor benefits first and then switch to your own at 70 IF your own benefit would be higher with the delayed credits. but if your own benefit is already 3x higher right now, waiting might not make sense. every situation is different!

There's actually a relatively simple way to calculate your break-even point. If your FRA benefit is $3,400 and you delay 4 years to get 32% more (about $4,488), you're giving up $2,200/month for 48 months ($105,600 total) to get an extra $1,088/month for the rest of your life after 70. $105,600 ÷ $1,088 = 97 months (about 8 years) to break even So if you expect to live beyond age 78, delaying still makes mathematical sense even with the big difference between benefits. Of course, this doesn't account for investment potential of that money if you took it earlier, or tax considerations.

To answer your follow-up question: Yes, the SSA will automatically calculate both your own benefit and any ex-spouse benefit you qualify for, then pay you whichever is higher. You don't need to apply separately. One more important point: If you're working while collecting these benefits before your FRA, be aware of the earnings limit ($22,320 in 2025). If you earn over that amount, your benefits will be reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn above the limit until you reach your FRA.

my neigbor tried getin her exs benefits and said they asked for his social security number... did u guys need to provide that?? my sister didnt mention that part

Yes, you can and should report your estimated earnings to Social Security when you apply for benefits. They will ask for this information during the application process. If your earnings change later in the year, you can update your estimate by calling SSA or visiting an office. Regarding your husband's potential consulting work - remember that for self-employment, SSA counts net earnings (after business expenses) and when the income is received, not when the work was performed. So if he does work in December but doesn't get paid until January 2026, that counts toward 2026's earnings test, not 2025. Based on everything discussed here, it sounds like your best approach is to: 1. Delay applying until March entitlement/April payment to avoid the January/February monthly earnings test issues 2. Report estimated earnings when you apply 3. Track any consulting income carefully 4. Remember your tax refund won't affect benefits at all

my cousin had to deal with an overpayment last year and SS was a NIGHTMARE about it. took like 5 months to fix!! def better to just wait til ur totally done working b4 applying

Just to add one more clarification: Multiple eligible survivors can receive benefits based on one worker's record simultaneously. So theoretically, if both your ex-wives were eligible for survivor benefits (if marriages lasted 10+ years and they never remarried before 60), AND your current wife becomes eligible in the future, all three could potentially receive benefits on your record. The benefits of one don't reduce or affect the others. This is why there's no need for any kind of "removal" process - the system is designed to handle multiple eligible survivors.

my grandma got remarried after my grandpa died and she still gets his ss payment every month! shes 82 now. the SSA doesn't care about ur previous marriages they just look at if u qualify now based on age and stuff

Just to clarify one thing I didn't see mentioned - if your sister is considering claiming both her own retirement benefit and the survivor benefit from her ex, she needs to understand that there are different rules for each. She can claim survivor benefits as early as 60 (or 50 if disabled), but her own retirement she can't claim until 62. If she's dealing with cancer, the disability route might make more sense as others have suggested. Wishing her all the best with her health and benefits situation.

tell ur sister to be careful about when she files!!! if she's still getting short term disability and then gets SSDI and survivor benefits she might end up owing money back to somebody. my friend got a huge overpayment notice from SS because her disability insurance didn't tell her they were offsetting for SSDI