Can I claim Social Security survivor benefits at 60 while still working if my much older husband passes away?
I just discovered something about Social Security that has me confused and hopeful at the same time. My wife collected her Social Security at 62 (she's turning 67 next month) even though I tried to convince her to wait for a higher monthly benefit. I'm only 58 and planning to work until my full retirement age (67). We have a 9-year age gap. I've been reading posts here about survivor benefits, which I honestly thought only applied to dependent children. If my wife passes away before me, am I eligible for survivor benefits based on her record until I file for my own retirement? Would I get her full benefit amount or would it be reduced? Both of us were married previously to other people, but we've been married to each other for 7 years now. Does our previous marriage history affect survivor benefits eligibility? I'm trying to understand our options for long-term financial planning.
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Malik Davis
Yes, you can claim survivor benefits as early as age 60 (or 50 if disabled). The amount you'd receive depends on when you claim. If you wait until your Full Retirement Age (FRA), you'd get 100% of her benefit. If you claim earlier, it would be reduced - roughly 71.5% of her benefit if you claim right at 60. The good news is that survivor benefits are different from spousal benefits. As a survivor, you can claim on your wife's record first and then switch to your own retirement benefit later if your own benefit would be higher. This strategy can maximize your lifetime benefits. The 7-year marriage meets the requirement (need to be married at least 9 months in most cases). Previous marriages don't affect your eligibility for survivor benefits on your current spouse's record.
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Emma Wilson
•Thank you for that clear explanation! So even though she took benefits early at 62, I'd still be eligible for survivor benefits based on what she's currently receiving? And I could potentially work while receiving these survivor benefits, then switch to my own retirement later? This is much more flexible than I realized.
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Isabella Santos
ur gonna have the earnings limit problem if ur working. SS takes back $1 for every $2 u earn above the limit. Its around $21K per year i think. so if ur making good money working, u might not get any survivor benefits til u hit full retirement age. thats when the earnings limit goes away
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Emma Wilson
•That's an important point I hadn't considered. I make about $75K annually, so it sounds like much of the survivor benefit might be withheld if I tried to claim before my FRA. Does SSA automatically recalculate this each year based on my earnings?
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Ravi Gupta
You've received some good information already, but I want to clarify a couple important points: 1. Survivor benefits are based on what your wife would have received at her Full Retirement Age, not her reduced age-62 amount. Since she filed early, her benefit was permanently reduced, but for survivor benefit purposes, you'd receive more than what she's getting now. 2. The earnings test is significant in your case. For 2025, you can earn up to $22,320 without reduction. Above that, $1 in benefits is withheld for every $2 earned. With your $75K income, most of your survivor benefits would indeed be withheld. 3. However, any benefits withheld due to the earnings test will result in a higher benefit payment once you reach FRA. SSA recalculates your benefit at that point. 4. You have options: claim reduced survivor benefits at 60 (knowing much will be withheld), wait until FRA for full survivor benefits with no earnings test, or switch between your own and survivor benefits to maximize lifetime payments.
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Emma Wilson
•This is extremely helpful! I didn't realize survivor benefits would be based on her FRA amount rather than her reduced benefit. That's actually a relief. Given my earnings, it sounds like waiting until my FRA might make the most sense, but I'll need to do some calculations. Is there someone at SSA who can help me compare these different scenarios?
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GalacticGuru
SSA agents can help u run the numbers but good luck getting through on those phones! i spent 3 hours on hold last week just to get disconnected!!!
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Freya Pedersen
•I had the same problem trying to get someone on the phone at SSA. After multiple disconnections, I found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual person at Social Security in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU I used it when I needed to discuss my widower benefits options, and the agent was able to run different filing age scenarios for me. Really helpful for complex situations like yours where timing makes a big difference in lifetime benefits.
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Omar Fawaz
Just a quick note - I think you need to be married for 10 years to qualify for benefits on a spouse's record. You mentioned 7 years of marriage?
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Malik Davis
•You're confusing survivor benefits with divorced spouse benefits. For survivor benefits (when a spouse passes away), you generally need to be married for at least 9 MONTHS (not years). For divorced spouse benefits while your ex is still living, that's when the 10-year marriage requirement applies.
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Omar Fawaz
•Oh! You're right - got them mixed up. Thanks for setting me straight!
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Chloe Anderson
Something nobody mentioned yet - if you're planning to work until 67 anyway, and your own benefit at 67 will be higher than your wife's, it may not matter much in the long run. You'd get survivor benefits for a time if she passes before you reach FRA, but then you'd switch to your own higher benefit. The REAL planning question is what happens if YOU pass away first. Since your wife took benefits early, her survivor benefit based on YOUR record could be significantly higher than what she's receiving now. At that point, she would step up to your benefit amount (assuming it's higher than her current benefit). This is why married couples should always coordinate their Social Security claiming strategies. When one person files early, it can permanently impact both individuals' benefits depending on who passes away first.
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Emma Wilson
•That's a really good point I hadn't even considered. If I die first, my wife would get a higher benefit based on my earnings, which would help her financially. Given our age difference, statistically speaking, I'm more likely to pass first even though she's older. This definitely makes me feel better about her decision to claim early, knowing she'd get my higher benefit if something happened to me.
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Diego Vargas
My mom went thru this. She was still working when my dad died (she was 61). She went ahead and filed for survivor benefits even though she was still working. They witheld most of it because of the earnings limit, but when she hit full retirement age they recalculated and gave her a higher monthly amount to make up for some of what was witheld. So even if your working it might be worth applying when the time comes.
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Emma Wilson
•Thank you for sharing your mother's experience - that's really helpful. I wonder if that recalculation at FRA would make it worthwhile to apply early even with the withholding. Did your mother find that the recalculation made up for most of what was withheld?
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Diego Vargas
•Not completely but she got quite a bit more monthly after FRA than she would have otherwise. She said SSA didn't explain this very well when she applied and she almost didn't bother because of her income.
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Emma Wilson
Thank you all for the helpful information! This has given me a lot to think about. I'm going to try to get through to SSA to discuss my specific situation and run some numbers. I may check out that Claimyr service if I can't get through on my own. It's a relief to know I have options, especially since neither of us really understood survivor benefits when my wife decided to claim early.
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