Update: I went with my mother-in-law to the funeral home today and got 10 copies of the death certificate. We've scheduled an appointment with SSA for next week. They told us she should bring her ID, both their Social Security cards, marriage certificate, death certificate, and a recent bank statement. I'm going to go with her to make sure everything gets handled correctly. Thank you all for your advice - it's been incredibly helpful during this difficult time.

my friend said when her mom died the dad got a letter automatic like 2 weeks later and didnt have to do nothing. is that different for husbands vs wives or something?

Thanks everyone for the helpful feedback. Based on the calculations shared, we've decided it's not worth amending the returns since the break-even point would be around 25+ years. I appreciate all the insights!

One important thing to consider: there's a 3-year, 3-month, and 15-day time limit for correcting Social Security earnings records. For earnings from 2015-2016, you're already beyond this window. However, SSA can make exceptions for "good cause" which includes situations where income was properly reported to IRS but not to SSA. You'd need to file Form SSA-7008 (Request for Correction of Earnings Record) along with proof of income and an explanation. Also, to be very technical, the benefit formula takes your highest 35 years of indexed earnings. The indexing factor adjusts earlier years' earnings upward significantly. So two recent years at $87k each might not actually replace years that, although lower in nominal terms, might be higher after indexing. If you want an exact calculation, you can request a detailed earnings analysis through an in-person appointment at your local SSA office.

I remember reading somewhere that if you take a lump sum instead of monthly pension payments, the SSA has to calculate what your monthly payment would have been and then apply GPO to that amount. Might be worth asking your pension administrator if there's any way to structure the lump sum that minimizes this impact. Also, make sure to get everything documented really well before you contact SSA.

wait why are u taking survivors benefits if ur working? doesn't that mean ur husband passed? sorry if thats too personal just confused

One additional point regarding your situation: while those zero years won't be replaced with your ex-spouse's earnings, there is a "caregiver credit" proposal that's been discussed in Congress for several years. It would provide earnings credits for people who leave the workforce to care for children or elderly family members. It hasn't passed yet, but if you're interested in advocacy on this issue, organizations like the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare are working on it. In the meantime, maximize your earnings for the remaining years of your career to replace as many zero years as possible in your benefit calculation.

Just to add to what others have said - when calculating your benefit, Social Security uses your highest 35 years of indexed earnings. The 'indexed' part is important because it adjusts your past earnings to account for wage inflation over time. So while those 10 years do count as zeros, if you're working now, even part-time jobs could potentially replace some of those zeros in your calculation. Also, when you apply for benefits, SSA will automatically calculate whether a spousal benefit based on your current husband's record would give you a higher monthly payment than your own record. You'll receive whichever is higher - they do this calculation automatically.

my sister had the same problem and she just let them withhold the payments to recoup the overage then everything went back to normal. she didn't want the hassle of withdrawing and reapplying. less paperwork.

To clarify something important about the Adjustment to the Reduction Factor that was mentioned: This only applies if your husband started receiving benefits BEFORE his FRA. Since he started at 66 (which is before his FRA of 66+8 months for someone born in 1958), any months where benefits are completely withheld due to earnings will be credited back to him after he reaches FRA. SSA will automatically recalculate and slightly increase his monthly benefit to account for those months where he received no payment. This is why running the exact calculations is so important - withdrawing and reapplying later means repaying benefits now, but getting a higher amount later. Letting SSA withhold benefits means keeping what he's already received, getting a slightly increased amount later, but still having taken benefits early with some permanent reduction.