COLA adjustments on survivor benefits if wife waits until FRA - will I lose years of increases?

I think its just what u got when you die, no extra money. Thats what happened with my mom when my dad passed. They dont give you extra $$ for waiting

This is actually a common misunderstanding. Your wife WOULD receive all the COLA adjustments between your death and when she claims survivor benefits. If you die, your benefit amount becomes the "basic survivor benefit" amount. Each year, when Social Security applies the COLA increase to all benefits, that basic survivor benefit will ALSO receive the COLA increase - even though nobody is claiming it yet. So the correct answer is (b) - she would get the $2,700 plus all the COLAs that would have accumulated during those years. The survivor benefit grows with inflation even while unclaimed. This is specifically addressed in the SSA POMS section GN 00615.740 and is different from retirement benefits, which only grow through delayed retirement credits, not COLA, when unclaimed.

I went through this exact situation three years ago when my husband passed away unexpectedly. I was only 59 at the time. I want to STRONGLY second what @profile1 said - your wife WILL get all the COLA adjustments between your death and when she claims. However, I just want to add that your wife might want to reconsider the strategy of claiming her own benefit at 62 and then switching to survivors at 67. The reduction for claiming her own benefit early is PERMANENT, while survivor benefits have different reduction factors. In my case, I did the opposite - I took reduced survivor benefits at 60 and will switch to my own (unreduced) retirement benefit at my full retirement age. This can sometimes yield more lifetime benefits, especially if her own benefit at FRA would be close to your amount. Just something to consider...

I HATE how complicated they make this stuff!! why cant they just make it simple?! i called SSA 7 times about my late husbands benefit and got 5 different answers!!! ONE LADY even hung up on me when i asked her to explain again!!! ugh

Just to add - if your wife is still working when she takes her own benefit at 62, be aware of the earnings limit! If she earns above the annual limit (around $21k in 2025), they'll withhold $1 for every $2 she earns above that threshold. This could essentially wipe out her early retirement benefit if she's earning a decent salary. The earnings limit goes away once she reaches full retirement age, but it's something to factor into your planning. Has she calculated whether her reduced benefit at 62 minus potential earnings limit reductions is worth taking early?

One more thing to consider - if your wife waits until her FRA to claim survivor benefits, she'll get 100% of your benefit amount (plus COLAs). If she claimed survivor benefits earlier, they would be reduced: - At age 60: about 71.5% of your benefit - At age 62: about 81.0% of your benefit - At age 65: about 95.3% of your benefit So her current plan of taking her own reduced benefit at 62 and then switching to full survivor benefits at 67 DOES make mathematical sense IF her own reduced benefit at 62 would be higher than the reduced survivor benefit would be at that age.

watch out for the tax stuff to my accountant says survivor benifits get taxed the same as regular social security so if she works and has good income while collecting then up to 85% could be taxable... just another thing they dont tell you till its to late

Have you both checked your benefit estimates on the My Social Security portal? Sometimes the estimates on the statements can be off, especially if you have years of zero or low earnings in your work history. Might be worth making sure the $2,700 and $1,500 figures are accurate before making any final decisions.