Can I collect both my deceased husband's Social Security benefits AND my own retirement benefits at FRA?

Whoever told you that is DEAD WRONG! You can NEVER collect both benefits at the same time - the SSA will only pay you the higher of the two amounts. I went through this exact same thing when my husband died in 2021. The SSA rep explained that I could either take my own retirement or the survivor benefit, but absolutely NOT both together. Don't get your hopes up for extra money that will never come!

The previous comment isn't quite right. While you can't receive BOTH benefits simultaneously at their FULL amounts, there actually is a strategy here. What your relatives are likely referring to is that you can switch between benefits. For example, if you're currently taking survivor benefits, you could switch to your own retirement benefit later if it would be higher (especially if you wait until 70 when your own benefit maxes out with delayed retirement credits). Or, if your own benefit at 62 is lower than the survivor benefit, some people take their reduced retirement benefit early, then switch to the full survivor benefit at their FRA. You always get the higher of the two, but the strategy comes from WHEN you claim each type of benefit.

my uncle told me the same thing last year but when i went to the ss office they said no way jose lol. you only get 1 check whichever is bigger. i think older people get confused about this alot.

I can help clear this up based on my experience working with several clients in similar situations. You cannot receive both benefits simultaneously - you'll only receive the higher of the two amounts. However, there is a legitimate strategy here that might explain the confusion: 1. You can choose WHEN to take each type of benefit to maximize your total lifetime payout 2. Since survivor benefits reach their maximum at your FRA (67 for you), while your own retirement benefits continue growing until age 70, many financial advisors recommend: - Taking survivor benefits at FRA (if not earlier) - Letting your own retirement benefit grow until 70 - Then switching to your own benefit at 70 if it exceeds your survivor benefit This approach allows you to potentially receive more money over your lifetime, but at no point do you receive both benefits simultaneously. Give SSA a call to discuss your specific situation, but be prepared for a long wait. And definitely check what your own retirement benefit would be at age 70 before making any decisions.

I tried calling SSA for 3 days straight to ask a similar question about my benefits and kept getting disconnected! Finally tried Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me through to an actual person in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. The agent confirmed exactly what others are saying here - you can only get one benefit (the higher one) at any time, but you can switch between them at different ages if it makes sense for your situation.

Everyone's getting technical but missing the main point!! The SSA is DELIBERATELY making this complicated to stop people getting all the money they deserve!! My sister-in-law was told THREE different things by THREE different SSA agents about the same question. The government doesn't want to pay out what they owe us after we've paid in our whole lives!!!!

I was confused about this too! My understanding from reading the SSA website is that: - You get one benefit payment (whichever is higher) - You can switch from one type to another at different ages - Survivor benefits max out at your FRA - Your own retirement benefits max out at 70 Maybe your relatives were trying to explain the switching strategy but just explained it poorly? Either way, definitely check with SSA directly - just know what questions to ask!

just wondering, how much would your own benefit be at 67? is it close to the survivor benefit or way less?

Since you mentioned specific numbers in your reply to another comment ($1,850 for your benefit at FRA vs $2,100 survivor benefit), let me add some helpful math: By delaying your retirement benefit from 67 to 70, you'd get an additional 8% per year for 3 years (24% total increase). That would potentially make your own benefit around $2,294 at age 70 ($1,850 × 1.24), which would exceed your current survivor benefit. This is exactly the type of situation where the switching strategy could benefit you. You could continue receiving the survivor benefit until 70, then switch to your own (higher) retirement benefit for the rest of your life. Definitely worth discussing with an SSA representative to get exact figures based on your earnings record.