Can Social Security survivors benefits increase after FRA if I wait until 70 to claim?

Survivor benefits do NOT grow after your FRA. Unlike your own retirement benefits which increase 8% per year until 70, survivor benefits reach their maximum at your full retirement age. So there's absolutely no advantage to waiting past your FRA to claim survivor benefits. The confusion probably comes because these are two different benefits with different rules. Your own retirement benefits have delayed retirement credits until 70, but survivor benefits don't. If your husband's benefit amount is higher than your own retirement benefit would be, you might want to consider taking survivors at FRA and then switching to your own at 70 (assuming your own benefit with delayed credits would then be higher).

my condolences on ur loss. i think ur financial advisor is wrong, my mom went thru this last year. SS survivor benefits max out at ur FRA. waiting til 70 doesnt increase them AT ALL!!!

You have options here. Since you're 62, you could: 1. Take reduced survivor benefits now (about 71.5% of the full amount) and let your own retirement grow until 70. 2. Take reduced retirement benefits now and switch to full survivor benefits at your FRA. The best choice depends on which benefit will ultimately be higher. If your own benefit at 70 would be significantly higher than the survivor benefit, option 1 might be better. Have you checked your estimated benefit amounts on the MySocialSecurity portal?

I waited to claim my husbands survivors benefit til i was at FRA and got the full amount. Tried to claim at 68 thinking it would be more and the lady at social security laughed at me! Said I shoulda claimed at FRA! So dont make my mistake... they definitely dont increase after FRA!

I had the EXACT same question when my husband passed. Spent WEEKS trying to get someone at Social Security on the phone who could give me a straight answer. Always disconnected after waiting for hours. Finally I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an SSA agent in about 15 minutes. The agent confirmed survivor benefits max out at FRA - waiting longer doesn't increase them. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The strategy they recommended was taking reduced survivor benefits at 62 and switching to my own retirement at 70, since my own benefit would be higher by then.

Ugh why is SS stuff so confusing?? My grandma got told different things by different SS reps about this exact issue! But from what I understand survivor benefits are different from retirement - they DON'T grow after FRA. Also, did u know if ur working while collecting survivor benefits, there's an earnings limit until u reach FRA? They dont tell u these things!

Call SSA and ask for a benefits comparrison calculation. They can run the numbers for all your options. Thats wat i did. and YES survivor benefits max out at FRA dont wait longer you'll just loose money!!!!

I'm really sorry for your loss, Jamal. This is such a common source of confusion, and unfortunately even SSA reps sometimes give conflicting information. To be absolutely clear: survivor benefits do NOT increase after your full retirement age. They max out at your FRA (66 and 10 months in your case). This is completely different from your own retirement benefits, which do continue to grow 8% per year until age 70. Given that you're 62 now, you have two main strategies to consider: 1. Take reduced survivor benefits now (about 71.5% of full amount) and switch to your own retirement at 70 if it would be higher 2. Take your own reduced retirement now and switch to full survivor benefits at your FRA The key is figuring out which benefit will ultimately be higher. If your own benefit at 70 with delayed retirement credits would exceed the survivor benefit, option 1 is usually better. You can get your benefit estimates on ssa.gov/myaccount or by calling for that comparison calculation Giovanni mentioned. Don't let your financial advisor convince you to wait past FRA for survivor benefits - you'd just be leaving money on the table!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Jamal. Going through this myself right now and it's overwhelming dealing with both grief and these confusing benefit rules. Just wanted to confirm what others have said - survivor benefits definitely don't grow past FRA. I learned this the hard way when I called SSA three times and got three different answers! Finally got connected to someone who knew what they were talking about and they were very clear: survivor benefits max out at YOUR full retirement age, period. The strategy that makes sense for most people in our situation is exactly what Ella mentioned - take the reduced survivor benefits now at 62 and let your own retirement benefit grow until 70. That way you're getting some income now while maximizing your future benefit if your own would be higher. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier - make sure to factor in cost of living adjustments (COLAs) when you're comparing future benefits. The survivor benefit will get COLAs each year even if you take it early, which can add up over time. Hang in there - once you get through to the right person at SSA and get your actual numbers, the decision becomes much clearer.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Jamal. This is definitely one of the most confusing aspects of Social Security, and you're getting good advice here from the community. Just to reinforce what everyone is saying - survivor benefits absolutely do NOT increase after your FRA. I work in elder law and see this confusion constantly. Your financial advisor is incorrect on this point. Here's what I always tell clients in your situation: Think of it as two separate "buckets" of benefits with different rules. Your own retirement benefit bucket has delayed retirement credits until 70, but the survivor benefit bucket maxes out at your FRA - no exceptions. Given that you're 62, the "claim survivor benefits now, switch to your own at 70" strategy often makes the most sense if your own benefit would be substantially higher. You'd get reduced survivor benefits (about 71.5% of full amount) for 8 years, then switch to your maximized retirement benefit. One additional tip: When you call SSA for that comparison calculation, specifically ask them to show you the crossover point - the age where your own delayed retirement benefit would exceed the survivor benefit. This helps you see exactly when switching would pay off. The SSA Publication 05-10084 "Survivors Benefits" has this info in writing if you want official documentation to show your financial advisor.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Jamal. This is such a difficult time to have to navigate these complex benefit decisions. Everyone here is absolutely correct - survivor benefits do NOT increase after your full retirement age. This is one of the most misunderstood aspects of Social Security, and unfortunately even some financial advisors get it wrong. I went through this exact situation three years ago when I lost my wife. Like you, I got conflicting advice and it was incredibly frustrating. What finally helped me was getting the actual numbers from SSA for my specific situation. Here's what I learned: Since you're 62, you can take reduced survivor benefits now (about 71.5% of the full amount) and then switch to your own retirement benefit at 70 if yours would be higher with the delayed retirement credits. This way you're not leaving money on the table while your own benefit grows. The key is getting SSA to run those comparison calculations for you. When you call, ask them to show you both scenarios with actual dollar amounts and the "break-even" point where switching would benefit you long-term. Also, don't feel bad about your financial advisor being wrong on this - it's a very specific rule that even some professionals miss. The important thing is you're getting the right information now before making any irreversible decisions. Take care of yourself during this difficult time, and don't hesitate to ask more questions here. This community really knows their stuff when it comes to Social Security.