Can I claim my late UK husband's Social Security benefits at 60 or must I wait until 67?

You'll need to contact the International Programs office at SSA. The regular field offices often don't handle these complex international cases well. The direct number for SSA's Office of International Operations is 1-410-965-7306, or you can call the main SSA international number at 1-800-772-1213 and ask specifically for help with UK survivor benefits. The UK system is different from US Social Security - they call it "State Pension," not Social Security - and yes, their full retirement age has increased to 67 for many people depending on birth year.

my cousin went through something similar when her canadian husband died! she was like 62 i think and got soooo confused with the paperwork. took her months to figure it out!!

The US has what they call "totalization agreements" with 30 countries including the UK. These agreements coordinate benefits when you have work credits in multiple countries. The specific rules are SUPER complicated and depend on your citizenship status, how long your husband worked in each country, whether you worked in either country, etc. I'd highly recommend checking out https://claimyr.com for help connecting with an SSA agent who can walk you through this. I used their service when dealing with my own international benefits situation and got through to someone knowledgeable in minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a demo of how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU

I think ur confused about sumthing important here. If your husband never worked in the US and never paid into US Social Security, then US SSA won't pay you survivor benefits based on his UK work. You need to deal with the UK pension system for any benefits based on HIS work there. SSA only pays based on US work credits.

ARE YOU A US CITIZEN??? This matters A LOT for benefits!!! The SSA treats citizens differently from permanent residents in some cases. Also the UK has DIFFERENT RULES for people living abroad vs. in the UK when claiming benefits. My sister lost out on THOUSANDS because she didn't understand this!!!

In my experience dealing with international Social Security issues, you need to apply separately with both countries. For the UK, you'll need to contact the International Pension Centre at +44 191 218 7777. They handle all State Pension claims for people living outside the UK. For the US side, contact the Office of International Operations at 1-410-965-7306 as mentioned above. Regarding the age requirement - yes, the UK has increased their State Pension age. For women born after April 6, 1950, the pension age has been gradually increasing. At 60, you're likely below the current UK qualifying age, which might explain their email response. However, there could be exceptions based on your specific situation, especially if you're claiming as a widow rather than on your own record.

i got so frusterated trying to deal with regular SS people about my german work history!! they kept giving me wrong info until i finally got to someone in the international office! definitely use the international numbers others posted. and write EVERYTHING down - dates, names, what they tell you. it took me 5 calls to finally get correct information and the right forms.

One more thing to consider - if you have at least 10 years of work credits in the US yourself, you may have options for filing on your own record now while waiting to claim any UK benefits when you reach their eligibility age. This can sometimes be a better strategy depending on your earnings history. The international benefits specialists can help you calculate which approach gives you the most money long-term.

hey did ur husband ever work in the US at all? my uncle worked in both canada and US and my aunt got benefits from both places when he died!