Can I apply for survivor benefits at 76 if deceased husband's SS was higher than mine?

It's definitely not too late! You can still apply for survivor benefits at any age as long as you're not remarried before age 60. The good news is that there's no deadline for applying for survivor benefits. You should contact SSA immediately to start the process - you could be entitled to the higher benefit amount going forward. However, be aware that SSA can only pay retroactive benefits for up to 6 months from your application date, so you won't receive back payments for all the years since 2012. But going forward, you could receive the higher amount if your husband's benefit would truly be more than your current benefit.

Wait i'm confused...I thought survivor benefits had to be taken right away after someone dies? Social Security is so complicated!!!! Are you sure you can still get this money? And what if you were working during that time? Does that matter? What if the husband had already started collecting when he died vs. if he hadn't started yet? Does that change what the wife gets? My husband is still alive but I'm trying to understand all this for the future and its making my head spin!!!!

My mom was in similar situation! She didn't know she could get my dad's higher benefit after he passed. She was already 70 when someone at church told her to check. She got an extra $400/month by switching!

The SSA should be REQUIRED to tell people about this!!! It makes me SO ANGRY that they just let people miss out on THOUSANDS of dollars because they don't automatically check if you qualify for survivor benefits when your spouse dies. My brother lost out on nearly $30K because nobody told him his wife's benefit was higher until THREE YEARS after she passed. The whole system is DESIGNED to confuse people so they don't get what they're entitled to!!!

To get this process started, you'll need to call Social Security or visit your local office. You'll need: 1. Your husband's death certificate 2. Your marriage certificate 3. Both your Social Security numbers 4. A copy of your most recent tax return or W-2 If you've been trying to call SSA but can't get through (which is common), you might want to try using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that helps you get through to a live SSA agent without the usual wait times. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU I used it when I needed to sort out my own survivor benefits last year - saved me hours of frustration with busy signals and disconnected calls.

yep u can still apply! my aunt did this when she was 72, her husband died in 2009 and she never knew she could get his benefit instead. she got like $300 more a month when she switched. just call ssa but good luck getting thru lol

I want to add an important detail - when you apply for survivor benefits, you're not actually receiving BOTH your benefit and your husband's. You'll receive the higher of the two amounts. So if your benefit is $1,750 and his would be $2,300, your new monthly benefit would be $2,300 (not $4,050). And yes, you should definitely apply! The SSA doesn't automatically check if survivor benefits would be higher than your own retirement benefit. This is something many people miss out on because they don't realize they need to specifically apply for it. When you meet with SSA, ask them to run a calculation to confirm which benefit amount is truly higher. In some cases, the survivor benefit might be reduced depending on various factors, so it's important to get an official calculation.

one more thing, when u go talk to ssa bring a snack and water cuz ull be there FOREVER lol. and their online appointment system never works right so just show up early

Update: I just realized there might be a small misconception here. The survivor benefit you'd be eligible for wouldn't necessarily be exactly what your husband received or would have received. It's generally based on his primary insurance amount (PIA), but there are adjustments based on several factors including when he started collecting benefits (if he did) and your full retirement age. Since you're well past your full retirement age at 76, you would receive 100% of the calculated survivor benefit amount. But that amount might not be exactly the $2,300 you mentioned - it could be somewhat different based on these calculations. This is why it's so important to have SSA do the exact calculation for your specific situation.

Just wondering - has anyone tried calling the SSA lately? Is it still super hard to get through? My mom waited 3 hours on hold last month before giving up!