Can I still get Social Security widow benefits if my own FRA amount is higher than 50% of my late husband's?

You're getting confused between spousal benefits and widow benefits. They're completely different! With widow benefits, the 50% threshold doesn't matter at all - that's only for spousal benefits when both spouses are alive. As a widow, you're entitled to 100% of your husband's FRA benefit amount if you wait until your own FRA to collect. If you take it early at age 60, you'll get about 71.5% of his FRA amount. The great thing about your situation is that you have options. You could take the reduced widow benefit at 60 and then switch to your own higher benefit at 67. Or wait until 62 and take your own reduced retirement benefit, then switch to the full widow benefit at your FRA. It's about maximizing your lifetime benefits.

my mom did this exact thing!! took widow benefits at 60 then switched to her own at full retirement age. SSA doesnt really tell u this strategy but it worked great for her. she got checks for 7 extra years this way

This is actually a perfect example of why survivor benefits are so valuable in retirement planning. You are absolutely entitled to widow's benefits even though your own benefit is substantial. Here's how it works: 1. Widow benefits and spousal benefits follow different rules. The 50% threshold only applies to spousal benefits. 2. For survivors, you're entitled to 100% of your deceased spouse's benefit if you claim at your FRA. 3. You can claim as early as age 60, but the benefit will be reduced to about 71.5% of your husband's FRA amount. 4. The "restricted application" strategy works well in your situation - take reduced widow benefits at 60, then switch to your own higher benefit at 67. This approach gives you 7 years of income while letting your own benefit grow to its maximum. When you switch, you'll need to contact SSA and specifically request to switch from widow's benefits to your retirement benefit.

To clarify the confusion from the previous comment - the "deemed filing" rules that require filing for all benefits simultaneously do NOT apply to widow/survivor benefits. This is a common misunderstanding, even among some SSA representatives. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 eliminated restricted applications for retirement and spousal benefits for people born after 1/1/1954, but specifically preserved this option for survivor benefits. Widow(er)s can still file a restricted application for either survivor benefits or their own retirement benefits and then switch later to the higher benefit. This strategy remains one of the few remaining Social Security claiming strategies that allows for significant optimization.

I've been trying to get through to SSA for weeks to ask about this exact situation (my husband passed in January). Their phone lines are IMPOSSIBLE - constant busy signals and disconnects after waiting for 2+ hours. I finally found a service called Claimyr that got me through to a rep in 20 minutes! The agent confirmed exactly what others are saying here - you can take widow benefits early and switch to your own later. It saved me so much frustration. Check out their video to see how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU or their website claimyr.com Just sharing because dealing with SSA after losing a spouse is hard enough without the phone frustrations.

Dont forget abt the earnings test if u work!! Under FRA u can only earn like $20k or something before they start deducting from benefits. hapened to my friend and she had to pay back a bunch

Is anyone else OUTRAGED at how COMPLICATED they make this system?? My husband worked for 45 YEARS paying into Social Security and when he died I had to spend MONTHS figuring out what I was entitled to! The SSA website is a MAZE and their phone lines are always busy. Then when you finally reach someone half the time they give you WRONG INFORMATION anyway!!! They should send everyone a simple letter explaining EXACTLY what their options are when a spouse dies instead of making us all become SS experts just to get what we deserve! The system is BROKEN!!!

just want to add that when u switch benefits later make sure to do it in writing not just over phone. my aunt thought she had switched but they didn't process it right and she missed out on higher payments for 8 months before she noticed!!

One more important detail - when planning your strategy, remember that your own retirement benefit continues to grow until age 70 (at 8% per year after FRA), but survivor benefits do NOT grow after your FRA. This means there's no advantage to delaying widow benefits past your full retirement age of 67. In your case, taking reduced widow benefits at 60, then switching to your own benefit at 67 (or even 70 for maximum growth) is likely the optimal strategy given the benefit amounts you mentioned. At age 70, your own benefit would be about $3,472/month compared to the $3,200 survivor benefit at FRA.