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I just remembered - my cousin had major problems trying to apply for survivor benefits online. The website kept glitching and then they processed her application wrong!!! She ended up having to go in person after waiting online for like 3 months!! If I were you I would just try to talk to a real person right away and not mess with their horrible website!!!
That's why I mentioned that Claimyr service - it's the only reliable way I found to actually reach a human at SSA. Trying to handle survivor benefits through the website is a nightmare.
Thank you everyone for the helpful information! I've scheduled an appointment with my local SSA office for next week, and I've made notes about asking for the "restricted application" option. I'm still upset about potentially losing 3 years of benefits, but at least I can make better choices going forward. I'll update after my appointment to let you know how it goes and what they tell me about my options.
Good luck with your appointment! Make sure to bring your husband's death certificate, your marriage certificate, both your Social Security numbers, and your ID. It's always better to bring too much documentation than not enough.
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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.
Thank you for breaking down the math so clearly. That really helps me understand the tradeoffs. Since women in my family typically live into their late 80s or 90s, waiting still might be the better option for me. I need to call SSA and confirm my exact benefit amounts to be sure.
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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
This is incredibly helpful - thank you! We're going to follow your advice exactly and push our application back a couple months. Better safe than sorry with the monthly limit rule. Really appreciate everyone's help in figuring this out!
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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.
That's fascinating - I had no idea the system was set up to handle multiple survivors like that. Makes me feel much better about my current wife's future security. Thanks again for all the expert knowledge!
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
That's only if she remarried after age 60! If she remarried at 58 for example, she would have lost grandpa's benefits. Just clarifying so people don't get confused about the remarriage rules for survivors.
Oliver Schulz
one more thing - when u do turn 62 make sure u check if its better to take ur own SS or the ex-spouse benefit. depends on ur work history. if u take it at 62 its reduced no matter what
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Javier Mendoza
•This is excellent advice. At 62, both your own retirement benefit and any ex-spouse benefit would be reduced by about 30% compared to waiting until your Full Retirement Age (FRA). You'll get whichever is higher - your own benefit or the ex-spouse benefit - not both. If your own work record would give you a higher benefit, you might not need the ex-spouse benefit at all. The SSA should be able to tell you the projected amounts for both options.
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Paolo Conti
Thank you all for this valuable information! I'm disappointed I might have missed out on some benefits when my daughter was younger, but at least I understand the rules better now. I'll definitely check on both my own retirement benefit and the ex-spouse benefit when I turn 62 to see which is better. I'm going to try to schedule an appointment with SSA to discuss everything properly. I feel less anxious now that I have more knowledge about how this all works.
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Amina Diallo
•Good plan to meet with SSA. One last tip: bring your marriage certificate, divorce decree, and ex's Social Security number if you have it. This will help them look up your specific situation more efficiently. And definitely mention that you were never informed about potential mother's benefits when your daughter was younger - it probably won't result in back payments, but it might help them improve their training for representatives.
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