Can I receive my wife's higher Social Security benefits as survivor after 25+ years of marriage?

YES you get her full benifit amount when she dies. thats how it works, my uncle got my aunts after she passed and she made way more than him for like 30 years

As a surviving spouse after a marriage of at least 9 months, you would indeed be eligible to receive 100% of your wife's Social Security retirement benefit if she passes away after she's started collecting, assuming you're at your full retirement age (FRA) when you claim survivor benefits. This is called the survivor benefit, and it's designed exactly for situations like yours. A few important things to note: - If you claim survivor benefits before your FRA, the amount will be reduced - You don't receive both benefits - you get the higher of either your own retirement benefit or the survivor benefit - You'll need to contact SSA when the time comes as survivor benefits aren't automatically applied - Different rules apply if she passes before starting her benefits This is why financial planners often recommend the higher-earning spouse delay benefits as long as possible (even to age 70) to maximize the potential survivor benefit for the lower-earning spouse.

The other answers are missing something IMPORTANT!! You can't just automatically get her benefits! When my husband died last year I had to go through this NIGHTMARE process with SSA. They made me bring death certificate, marriage certificate, his SS card, my ID, birth certificates... it was RIDICULOUS!!! And then they STILL messed up the payments for 3 months!! So yes you'll get her higher amount IF she dies after starting benefits and IF you're at full retirement age, but be prepared for a bureaucratic mess when it happens.

My condolences on thinking about this sad topic. I think everyone here is right that you'd get her higher amount. Life is so unpredictable though! My wife and I had a similar situation but then I got a promotion and now I'm the higher earner so we had to completely rethink our planning. Have you two considered long-term care insurance too? That was another big decision for us.

I think theres some confusion here... SSI and SSDI are different from retirement benefits. Are you talking about regular Social Security or the disability programs?

I want to emphasize something that hasn't been clearly addressed yet. If your wife has already claimed her benefits and then passes away, you would be eligible for 100% of her benefit amount, provided you're at least at your full retirement age (67 for those born in 1960 or later). However, what's particularly important for your planning is understanding that if your wife delays claiming her benefits beyond FRA until age 70, her benefit would increase by 8% per year due to delayed retirement credits. This increased amount would then become the survivor benefit you'd be eligible to receive. This is why many financial advisors recommend that the higher-earning spouse consider delaying benefits until 70 if possible, especially if there's a significant difference in earnings history between spouses. It essentially acts as a form of life insurance through the Social Security system.

my mom got dads SS when he passed but she said she had to wait til she was 60 to claim it, so theres definintely some age rules involved to

Thanks everyone for the helpful information! Based on what I'm understanding: 1. Yes, I would get 100% of my wife's benefit if she passes away after starting her benefits (assuming I'm at my FRA) 2. It might be worth having her delay until 70 to maximize those potential survivor benefits 3. I'll need to file paperwork with SSA and provide documentation when the time comes 4. Different rules apply if she passes before starting benefits This has been really educational and gives us some things to consider in our retirement planning. I appreciate all the responses!