Can I switch to my husband's higher Social Security survivor benefit with our income difference?
I've been stressing about what happens financially if my husband passes away before me. Right now our Social Security income breakdown is pretty straightforward - he gets about $31,000 per year in benefits and I receive approximately $19,000. I'm really confused about survivor benefits though. Would I be able to get his higher amount instead of mine? Would they combine somehow? Or would I just keep getting my lower amount? I've tried reading the SSA website but can't figure out how our specific income situation would work. Any guidance would be so appreciated!
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Marcus Williams
Yes, as a survivor you'd be eligible to receive the higher of either your own benefit or your husband's full benefit - not both. Since his benefit is significantly higher, you would get his $31,000/year instead of your $19,000. The SSA automatically evaluates which benefit amount is higher and pays you that amount. There's no combining of benefits in survivor situations, just a straight replacement with whichever amount is more favorable to you.
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Jessica Suarez
•Thank you so much for explaining! That's actually a relief to hear. So just to be clear, I'd basically step into receiving his full $31,000 instead of my $19,000? Would I need to apply for that or does it happen automatically when the SSA is notified of his passing?
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Lily Young
my mom went thru this last year when dad died. she got his payment instead of hers since it was bigger. you have to call them though when it happens, they dont just switch it over.
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Jessica Suarez
•I'm sorry about your dad. Thanks for sharing what happened with your mom - that helps me understand the process better. I'll make sure to call SSA if/when the time comes.
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Kennedy Morrison
Just to add some important technical details to what others have said: 1. When your husband passes, you'll receive a one-time death benefit payment of $255 (this small amount hasn't changed in decades). 2. You would receive 100% of your husband's benefit amount only if you're at your Full Retirement Age (FRA) when you claim survivor benefits. If you claim survivor benefits earlier than your FRA, the amount will be reduced (between 71.5% to 99% of his benefit, depending on your exact age). 3. You'll need to provide SSA with proof of death (usually the funeral home reports this) and complete an application for survivor benefits. 4. You should apply for survivor benefits promptly - you can't receive retroactive benefits for more than 6 months. 5. If you're still working when claiming survivor benefits before your FRA, the earnings limit would apply and could temporarily reduce your benefits.
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Jessica Suarez
•This is extremely helpful - I had no idea about the FRA requirements or that the amount could be reduced if I claim early. I'm going to check what my Full Retirement Age is right now. Also good to know about the earnings limit since I'm considering working part-time in the next few years.
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Wesley Hallow
Something similar happened with my aunt last year and she had the WORST time trying to get through to SS on the phone. Kept getting disconnected or having to wait for hours!!! So frustrating for her during such a sad time.
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Justin Chang
•I know exactly what you mean. When my spouse passed, I spent literally DAYS trying to reach someone at SSA. I finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me skip the hold times. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - basically they call SSA for you and only connect when they get a live agent. Saved me hours of waiting during an already stressful time dealing with survivor benefits. The agent I got was actually super helpful once I finally got through to them.
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Wesley Hallow
•omg thats amazing!! wish we knew about this for my aunt, would have saved her so much stress!
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Grace Thomas
You should look into something called the "restricted application" for survivor benefits. My neighbor told me you can get both benefits at the same time that way.
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Kennedy Morrison
•That's actually incorrect information. The restricted application for survivor benefits doesn't allow you to receive both benefits simultaneously. What it does allow is for a surviving spouse to take one benefit first (either their own retirement OR the survivor benefit) and then switch to the other benefit later if it would be higher. This strategy can be useful in specific situations, but you still only receive one benefit at a time - never both simultaneously.
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Grace Thomas
•My mistake! Thanks for clarifying. I must have misunderstood what my neighbor was saying.
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Hunter Brighton
The SSA is TERRIBLE about explaining these things clearly!!! I went through this when my husband died in 2023 and even the workers at our local office gave me conflicting information. It took MONTHS to sort everything out and get the correct benefit amount. Make sure you keep copies of EVERYTHING and write down names of who you talk to. And be prepared for them to possibly calculate things wrong the first time!!! THEY MADE MISTAKES ON MINE!!
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Jessica Suarez
•Oh no, that sounds like a nightmare. I'm going to start keeping better records of our benefit information now, just in case. Did you eventually get everything sorted out correctly?
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Marcus Williams
One additional point that might be relevant to your situation: If you're collecting any government pension from work not covered by Social Security (like certain state or federal employment), you might be subject to the Government Pension Offset (GPO). This could reduce your survivor benefits. It's something to be aware of if either of you worked in government positions.
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Jessica Suarez
•Thank you for mentioning this. We both worked in private sector jobs covered by Social Security our whole careers, so I don't think GPO would apply to us. But it's good to know about these special situations.
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Lily Young
just wondering, how old r u and ur husband? cause that matters for the benefits i think
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Jessica Suarez
•Good question - I'm 68 and he's 72. We both started taking our benefits at our full retirement ages.
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Kennedy Morrison
Based on your ages (68 and 72), you're both at Full Retirement Age, which simplifies things considerably. Since you're already at FRA, if your husband were to pass away, you would be eligible to receive 100% of his benefit amount immediately with no reduction. And since you're not working, there would be no earnings test to worry about. Just ensure both of you have created MySocialSecurity accounts online. This will make it easier to track benefits and provide you with benefit verification letters that might be needed during the survivor benefit application process.
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Jessica Suarez
•We do have MySocialSecurity accounts already - that's been helpful for keeping track of our current benefits. It's reassuring to know that my situation would be relatively straightforward since we're both past FRA. Thank you for taking the time to explain everything!
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