Can I switch to my husband's higher Social Security benefits if he passes away before me? (73 & 69)

Yes, you would be eligible for survivor benefits based on your husband's record if he passes away before you. As a widow, you could receive up to 100% of what your husband was receiving at the time of his death. Since his benefit is higher than yours, SSA would automatically give you the higher amount - you'd essentially keep getting your own benefit plus the difference to bring you up to his amount. You don't need to do anything special to prepare right now. When the time comes (which hopefully won't be for many years!), you would need to report the death to Social Security and apply for survivor benefits. They can't be applied for online - you'll need to call SSA or visit an office.

When my dad passed away 3 years ago my mom got his benefit instead of hers. But she had to go to the SS office with his death certificate and fill out a bunch of paperwork. took like 2 months to process everything but they did pay her retroactive to his date of death.

Just to add a bit more technical detail to what others have said - what you're describing is officially called "Widow's Insurance Benefits" (WIB). The full survivor benefit is available to widows who are at or above their Full Retirement Age (FRA), which you are at 69. What actually happens mechanically is that your own retirement benefit continues, and then you receive an additional amount (the difference between your benefit and your husband's) as a widow benefit. The combined amount equals what your husband was receiving. One thing to note: when a spouse passes away, the household goes from receiving two SS checks to receiving one. So while you would get the higher amount, your total household income would still decrease.

My mom didnt have any issues during the waiting period they just gave her all the money she was owed when it finally processed. but yeah like the other person said, going from 2 SS checks to 1 bigger check was still a big income drop for her.

WHATEVER YOU DO, MAKE SURE YOU REPORT THE DEATH TO SSA ASAP!!! My father died and we waited almost a month to report it (we were grieving) and they made my mother REPAY the benefits that went into his account after his death. it was a NIGHTMARE dealing with them about it!!!!

I went through this when my husband passed in 2021. The most frustrating part was actually getting through to someone at Social Security to report the death and start the survivor benefit process. I spent DAYS trying to get through on their phone line. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent within about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I actually got through to someone, the process itself wasn't too bad. I did need his death certificate and our marriage certificate. The agent was really helpful in switching me to the higher benefit.

my aunt gets my uncles SS check now that hes gone. its way higher than what she used to get on her own. but she had to deal with a lot of confusing stuff after he died cuz they sent her to the wrong office twice lol

Regarding your question about taxes on survivor benefits - they're taxed exactly the same way as regular Social Security benefits. Whether your benefits are taxable depends on your "combined income" (adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + half of your Social Security benefits). For single filers: - If combined income is between $25,000 and $34,000, up to 50% of benefits may be taxable - If combined income is more than $34,000, up to 85% of benefits may be taxable So when your income goes from two people to one, your tax situation will change. It might be worth consulting with a tax professional who specializes in retirement planning to help you understand the full picture.

just wondering do u get any extra money if ur married over 10 years? i heard something about that but not sure if its true.

I found out the HARD WAY that they DON'T automatically switch you to the higher benefit!!! You HAVE TO APPLY for survivor benefits! My friend assumed they would just switch her automatically after her husband died and she missed out on 4 MONTHS of the higher payments because she didn't know she needed to apply!!!