Can a surviving spouse collect deceased spouse's full retirement amount if they claimed SS at 62?

I'm sorry for your loss. As a surviving spouse, you're eligible to receive your husband's actual benefit amount that he was receiving at the time of his death, not what he would have received had he waited until FRA. Since he claimed at 62, his benefit was permanently reduced, and that's the amount used for survivor benefits. However, you have options. You can: 1. Take your survivor benefit now and switch to your own benefit at your FRA if it's higher 2. Take your own reduced benefit now and switch to the survivor benefit later 3. Wait until your own FRA to maximize either benefit The best strategy depends on the exact amounts and your financial needs. I'd recommend making an appointment at your local SSA office to discuss your specific situation.

when my dad died mom got his check instead of hers cause it was bigger. they told her she could only get one not both. she had to bring the death certificate and marriage license to the office

The SSA is USELESS at explaining this stuff!!! When my wife died they told me THREE different things on THREE different calls!!! I wasted WEEKS trying to get straight answers. The rules are intentionally confusing to prevent people from getting their full benefits!!

There actually is a special provision for widows/widowers called the Widow's Limit or RIB-LIM rule. It's quite complex, but essentially: If your husband claimed early, you might be entitled to a higher survivor benefit than what he was receiving. The maximum is generally limited to what he would have received if he were still alive today (not what he would have gotten at his FRA). At your current age (65), you have several options: 1. You could take a reduced survivor benefit now and switch to your own at your FRA 2. You could take your own reduced benefit now and switch to survivor benefits at your FRA The RIB-LIM calculation is complex and depends on multiple factors including both your ages, when he claimed, your FRA, etc. This is definitely a situation where having a conversation with a knowledgeable SSA representative is essential. I'd recommend documenting your questions before calling, as the nuances matter here.

I had a similar situation when my wife passed. Spent WEEKS trying to get through to SSA on the phone. Always busy signals or disconnections after 2+ hour waits. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in under 10 minutes. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I actually spoke with someone knowledgeable, they explained all the survivor benefit options and helped me make the right choice based on my specific situation. Saved me so much frustration.

To add some clarity here - the maximum survivor benefit is generally limited by the larger of: 1. The benefit your husband was receiving at death ($1,750) 2. 82.5% of your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) The PIA is the benefit amount he would have received at his FRA. If his FRA amount would have been $2,450, then 82.5% of that is about $2,021. This means your survivor benefit would be about $2,021 (not the full $2,450 FRA amount, but more than the $1,750 he was receiving). However, if you claim survivor benefits before your own FRA, this amount will be further reduced. The reduction is approximately 4.75% per year before your FRA. Your best strategy might be to take your reduced survivor benefit now, then switch to your own benefit at 70 if your own benefit would be higher with delayed retirement credits.

my neighbor trid to do this and SSA lost her paperwork TWICE and she had to start over!!! don't trust them to do anything right. make copies of EVERYTHING and get names of who you talk to!!

sorry about your husband passing away. it's really hard to deal with all this government stuff when your grieving

One important thing nobody's mentioned yet: you generally need to apply for survivor benefits within 60 days of your spouse's death to potentially get retroactive benefits back to the month of death. Don't delay in at least starting the application process. You can always withdraw and reapply later if needed (within 12 months). Also, bring your marriage certificate, your husband's death certificate, both your Social Security cards, and your birth certificate when you go to the SSA office. Having all documents ready will make the process smoother.

Based on the numbers you shared, I did some rough calculations: 1. Your husband's received $1,750 (claimed at 62) 2. His FRA amount would have been $2,450 3. Your FRA amount would be $1,600 Assuming standard reduction factors and the RIB-LIM rule, your maximum survivor benefit at your FRA would likely be between $2,000-$2,100. If you claimed your own benefit at 70, it would be around $1,600 + 24% = $1,984. So it appears your best strategy might be to take the survivor benefit at your FRA and then possibly stay with it rather than switching to your own. However, these are rough estimates and the actual calculation by SSA may differ. This is definitely a case where getting expert advice from SSA is crucial.

My mom went through this last year and found out she could file a "restricted application" for just the survivor benefit while letting her own benefit grow until 70. The SSA representative she talked to initially didn't mention this option - she only found out after reading about it and specifically asking! The system is designed to make you miss out on money you're entitled to, I swear.

When i tried calling the SSA they kept transferring me around to different people and nobody seemed to know the actual rules. its like they don't train their own staff!!! so frustrating

Thank you all for the helpful responses. I'm going to try to get through to SSA this week and specifically ask about the RIB-LIM calculation and restricted application strategy. If I can't get through, I'll try that Claimyr service someone mentioned. I'll update once I know more in case it helps someone else in the future.