Can I collect survivor benefits at 67 after receiving my own Social Security for years?

Yes! You absolutely should apply for survivor benefits right away. Since you were married for over 10 years (and you were married at the time of his death), you're eligible for survivor benefits. At your age (over FRA), you can receive 100% of what your deceased husband would have received at his full retirement age. If his benefit amount was higher than yours, you'll get the higher amount (not both). Don't worry about the timing - there's no penalty for applying now, though you can only get up to 6 months of retroactive benefits. Contact SSA immediately to start the process.

my mom went thru this same thing last yr!!! she got almost $700 more per month when she switched to my dads benefit. definitely worth checking into!!

Didn't you get a lump sum death benefit when he passed? That's usually the time they tell you about survivor benefits too.

You're in exactly the right situation to potentially benefit from survivor benefits. Since you're past your Full Retirement Age (which would be 66 and a few months for someone your age), you're entitled to 100% of your deceased husband's benefit if it's higher than your current benefit. The process is straightforward but can be frustratingly slow: 1. Gather documents: marriage certificate, death certificate, his SSN, your ID 2. Contact SSA to apply specifically for survivor benefits 3. They'll calculate both benefits and automatically give you the higher amount One important thing - this is NOT retroactive to when he died. You can only get up to 6 months of back payments from when you apply. So apply immediately to minimize what you've already lost.

Getting through to Social Security to sort this out is going to be a nightmare... I just spent 3 weeks trying to get someone on the phone about my disability application. Kept getting disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. Eventually I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real SSA agent in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - saved me so much frustration! Definitely worth it for something this important where you need to talk to an actual person.

You need to be precise about what you're applying for. You're not applying for "spousal benefits" (which is for current spouses) but for "surviving spouse benefits" (for widows/widowers). This distinction matters when you contact SSA. Based on your situation, here's what will happen: 1. SSA will look at what your husband's benefit would be if he were alive today 2. They'll compare it to your current benefit 3. You'll receive the HIGHER of the two amounts (not both) If his benefit would be $2,400 and yours is $1,950, you'd receive a $450 monthly increase. You'd still just get one payment, but it would be based on his higher amount. This adjustment is not automatic - you MUST apply. And yes, you can still apply even though you're already receiving your own benefits. There's no deadline for survivor benefits, but as others mentioned, you can only get up to 6 months of retroactive payments.

i think u need his w2s too maybe? or at least thats what my aunt needed when she did this

Thank you all for your help! I called SSA this morning but couldn't get through after waiting an hour. Will try that Claimyr service tomorrow. I found all our documents including his social security card. I had no idea I might be missing out on hundreds of dollars each month for the past 2 years. Really appreciate everyone's advice!