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To clarify about the death certificate - you may not need it. SSA often has death information in their system already, especially if your ex was receiving Social Security benefits. When you schedule your appointment, ask if they already have this information. Regarding your claiming strategy, since your work record isn't strong, taking survivor benefits now likely makes sense. However, I'd recommend you request a calculation of both benefits during your appointment so you can see the actual numbers. Even a seemingly small work record can grow with delayed retirement credits if you wait until 70. One thing to remember - survivor benefits don't grow after your full retirement age, so there's no advantage to waiting beyond that point for the survivor benefit.
This is so helpful! I'll definitely ask about both calculations. I wasn't aware that survivor benefits don't increase after full retirement age - that's really important to know. I'm going to try to make an appointment this week.
When I went through this process, the SSA office told me they prefer appointments for survivor benefit applications because they're more complex. I tried to apply online and ended up having to go in person anyway. Just a heads up - their website says 60 days for processing but mine took almost 4 months before I saw the first payment! And they were backdated to my application date, so it was a big lump sum. Make sure you have enough savings to tide you over while waiting.
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my uncle gets over $4000 but he was some big shot executive and waited till 70. most regular people get way less trust me
One important detail that hasn't been mentioned: the maximum benefit amounts we're discussing assume you're claiming benefits based solely on your own work record. Spousal benefits and survivor benefits have different maximums. Also, remember that Medicare premiums will be deducted from your Social Security payment if you enroll in both, so your actual deposit will be lower than the gross benefit amount. For 2025, standard Medicare Part B premiums are projected to be around $185/month.
Good reminder about Medicare! I keep forgetting about those premiums. My wife will be eligible for spousal benefits too since she worked part-time most of her life. Guess I need to factor that into our calculations.
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Just to clarify something important: With your current SSDI, you're likely receiving your own disability benefit, possibly with an added amount if the survivor benefit is higher than your SSDI amount. If you were to lose SSDI eligibility and switch to widow-only benefits, the calculation would be different. As others mentioned, taking widow benefits before your Full Retirement Age reduces the amount. At exactly age 60, it would be about 71.5% of your deceased ex-spouse's full benefit amount. One strategy to consider: If you do lose SSDI eligibility after marriage, you might want to delay claiming widow benefits until closer to your FRA to receive a higher amount, if you have other income sources in the meantime. This is especially true if your ex-spouse had a substantial earnings record.
Thank you for explaining this. I think I need to find out exactly how much of my current benefit is my own SSDI versus the survivor portion. That would help me understand what I might lose if my disability status changed. Definitely need to speak directly with SSA about this.
just wondering did ur ex know u were getting his benefits? my uncle remarried 3 times and his last wife gets his ss now even tho they were only married 10 yrs and 1 day lol she planned it
That's not how it works. Your uncle's ex-wife isn't taking benefits away from anyone else. Social Security isn't a zero-sum game where one person getting benefits means someone else gets less. Each eligible person can claim what they qualify for based on the rules.
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Just want to say sending prayers to you and your wife. This stuff is so hard to deal with on top of everything else.
Has anyone mentioned the fact that you might have choices about WHEN to take survivor benefits? Like if you have your own work record, sometimes it's better to take your own retirement at 62 and then switch to survivor benefits at FRA, or vice versa. The rules changed in 2015 but some options still exist. My financial advisor helped me figure this out and it meant about $45,000 more over my lifetime!
This is a critical point. Survivor benefits have more flexible claiming options than regular retirement benefits post-2015. You can still take one benefit type early and switch to the other later to maximize lifetime benefits. For example, if you're younger than FRA, you might take reduced survivor benefits and then switch to your own unreduced retirement benefit at 70 (when it maxes out). Or the reverse could be better depending on your respective earnings records. This can mean tens of thousands of dollars difference over a lifetime.
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Thank you all for the helpful advice! I think I'm going to wait until my FRA and have my husband wait until his FRA too before claiming. From what everyone has explained, this seems like the best way to maximize both our current benefits and protect me with a higher survivor benefit if needed in the future. Really appreciate all the insights!
Sounds like a solid plan based on what you've shared. One last suggestion - schedule an appointment with SSA about 3 months before your FRA to confirm everything. Benefit calculations can have unique factors based on your specific earnings record that might affect the final amounts.
make sure u check what happens if u take urs now and then switch to spousal later when he files. my brother in law did that and got more $ overall. its called restricted application i think?
Important clarification: Restricted applications are only available to people born before January 2, 1954. Based on the FRA mentioned (66.8), the original poster was born after that date and doesn't qualify for this strategy. This is why getting accurate information is so important - rules change and not all strategies are available to everyone.
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another thing - inflation. that $130 diffrence will be worth less in 10 yrs anyway
Social Security benefits receive annual Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) that are tied to inflation. So while the purchasing power of $130 might decrease over time, the actual dollar amount of the difference would increase with each COLA adjustment.
Thank you all for the thoughtful responses! I've decided to go ahead and apply for benefits now instead of waiting. The break-even analysis and the point about enjoying the money while I'm still active enough to use it for travel and hobbies really resonated with me. I've started the application online yesterday and hopefully it goes smoothly. I appreciate all the different perspectives!
Good luck with your application! Remember to check your MySSA account regularly for updates on the processing status. If you have any issues, calling early in the morning (right when they open) usually means shorter wait times.
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One time i had to deal with social security office for like 3 weeks trying to get them to fix a mistake on my record... never again!!! They kept transfering me to different departments and nobody knew anything.
While that's frustrating, this thread is about negotiating with private LTD insurance companies after receiving SSDI, not about problems with the Social Security Administration itself. Those are separate issues with different approaches to resolution.
Another important tip: If you negotiate a settlement, get a "Payment in Full" settlement letter BEFORE sending any money. The letter should clearly state that your payment constitutes complete satisfaction of the debt with no further obligation. I've seen cases where people paid the negotiated amount but the company later claimed it was just a "partial payment" because the paperwork wasn't clear.
Excellent point! I'll definitely make sure to get this in writing first. Would an email confirmation be sufficient, or should I ask for a formal letter on company letterhead?
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can someone explain this to me - if the mom files for SS early at like 62 would that lower what the daughter gets if they switched her to moms record later? im confused about how this all works with the disability benefits and family maximum!!!!
Great question! If the mother files at 62 (reduced benefits), and IF the daughter's DAC benefit is later switched to the mother's record, then yes - the daughter's DAC benefit would be based on the mother's reduced PIA. DAC benefits are calculated at 50% of the parent's PIA while the parent is alive, and 75% after death. So if the parent takes reduced benefits, it doesn't directly reduce the DAC percentage, but it's based on a smaller starting amount. Also, family maximum limits might apply if there are multiple people drawing on one record.
Thank you all for the helpful responses! From what I understand: 1. We need to follow BOTH sets of rules since she receives both benefits 2. The SSI rules are stricter with the $2,000 asset limit and income reporting 3. My work income won't affect her benefits 4. When I file for retirement, they'll check if she'd get more on my record 5. ABLE accounts might be a solution for saving beyond the $2,000 limit I'm going to look into the ABLE account option right away and also consider whether keeping that small SSI payment is worth the restrictions. The Medicaid connection is important though, so I'll need to check with our state about that before making any decisions. This community is amazing - thank you for helping me understand this complicated situation!
Just a heads up - when you do apply for your own retirement benefits, make sure to mention to SSA that you have a disabled adult child who might qualify on your record. Sometimes they miss this connection if you don't explicitly point it out, especially if she's already receiving DAC on your ex's record. The computer systems don't always talk to each other effectively.
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u can also get transcript of the 1099 info from irs website if u have account there. sometimes easier than dealing with ssa website
The IRS transcript DOESN'T show all the same details as the actual SSA-1099 form!!! My tax preparer said he needs the ACTUAL FORM, not just the numbers from the transcript. Don't spread misinformation!!!
I've been getting Social Security disability for about 8 years now, and I've noticed they seem to send them out in batches based on your Social Security number. People with numbers ending in certain digits get theirs first. My husband and I almost always get ours about 10 days apart even though we're at the same address. Maybe your SSN just puts you in a later batch this year?
That's interesting! I never realized they might send them in batches by SSN. That could explain why mine came earlier in previous years.
Isabella Tucker
my friend got a big surprise when his disability switched over cuz he had a worker comp settlement years ago and they had been offsetting his ssdi but when it went to retirement the offset went away and his check got bigger. not sure if thats a thing for everyone but worth asking about
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LordCommander
•Your friend experienced something that does happen in certain cases. Workers' compensation offset applies to SSDI but not to retirement benefits. So if someone's SSDI was reduced due to workers' comp, they might see an increase when converting to retirement benefits. This is situation-specific and doesn't apply to everyone, but it's a good point to mention.
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Emma Swift
Does anyone know if Medicare changes when you switch from disability to retirement??? That's what I'm worried about!!!
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Max Knight
•Great question! No, your Medicare coverage will continue unchanged when you convert from SSDI to retirement benefits. Since you've been on SSDI for 7+ years, you're already enrolled in Medicare (which happens after 24 months of SSDI entitlement). The transition to retirement benefits has no effect on your Medicare coverage, premiums, or enrollment.
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