Can my 84-year-old mom switch to my late dad's Social Security survivor benefits after taking her own at 62?

Yes, your mom can absolutely switch to survivor benefits! When a spouse passes away, the surviving spouse can receive the higher of either their own benefit or their deceased spouse's benefit. Since your dad's benefit was higher, your mom should be eligible to receive his full $2,750 amount (minus any Medicare premiums). The fact that she claimed her own benefits early at 62 doesn't affect her survivor benefits at this point. What matters is that she's now the surviving spouse. She needs to contact Social Security as soon as possible by calling 1-800-772-1213 to report the death and apply for survivor benefits. She'll need your dad's death certificate. Just be prepared for potentially long wait times when calling.

my mom went thru this last yr... its definetly true she can get his full amount! but ssa doesnt automatically switch her, u HAVE to call them and apply 4 the survivor benfit. took my mom almost 2 months to get anyone on the phone tho ugh

I've been through this process and can confirm what others have said - your mom will receive your dad's higher benefit amount. The technical term is that she'll receive the "greater of" her own benefit or up to 100% of your dad's benefit. One important thing: Survivor benefits are NOT retroactive very far back, so apply immediately. She'll only get back payments from the time of application, not from the time of death. Every month of delay means lost money. When she calls, she'll need: - Your dad's death certificate - Their marriage certificate - Both their Social Security numbers - Her banking information for direct deposit - Her ID But honestly, getting through to SSA is the biggest challenge right now. I spent days trying to reach someone.

The SSA phone system is COMPLETELY BROKEN!!! I tried for THREE WEEKS to get through for my own issue and kept getting disconnected or told to call back later. This is how they treat seniors who paid into the system their whole lives?? DISGRACEFUL!!! Your poor mother shouldn't have to deal with this stress after losing her husband. The whole system needs to be overhauled!

After struggling to reach SSA for a similar survivor benefit situation, I discovered a service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an agent quickly. I was skeptical at first, but it actually worked - I got through to a real person in about 25 minutes instead of spending days trying. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The website is claimyr.com if you want to check it out. It was worth it for me because I needed to get my mom's survivor benefits started ASAP after my dad passed.

sorry about ur dad. when my husband died the funeral home actually filed something with ss for me. did they do that for ur mom? they should have but maybe check with them.

To clarify what happens with the funeral home: They typically submit Form SSA-721 (Statement of Death by Funeral Director), which only notifies SSA of the death. This doesn't automatically start survivor benefits - that requires a separate application. Also, I want to point out that your mom will need to specifically ask for the "Lump Sum Death Benefit" of $255 when she calls. It's not much, but it's something, and SSA doesn't always mention it if you don't ask. One last thing - her benefits will convert to survivor benefits the month after application approval, not retroactively to your dad's death, so time really is of the essence here.

My grandma got survivors benefits last year but she was so confused because they kept asking her about her own retirement date. I think it DOES matter when your mom took her benefits originally because my grandma had to fill out some extra paperwork. Maybe different rules for different ages? I'm not sure but thought I'd mention it just in case.

one more thing... when my mom finally got her survivors benefits they gave her back pay from when my dad died, not just from when she applied! so make sure ur mom asks about that!!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Grace. I went through this exact situation with my grandmother a few years ago. She was also receiving reduced benefits from claiming early, but when my grandfather passed, she was able to switch to his full survivor benefit amount. At 84, your mom is well past full retirement age, so she should definitely be eligible for your dad's full $2,750 monthly benefit. The early filing penalty on her own benefits doesn't carry over to survivor benefits - that's a completely separate calculation. A few practical tips from my experience: Try calling SSA first thing in the morning (8am) when they open - you'll have better luck getting through. Also, if you have a local SSA office nearby, you might consider going in person if the phone system is too frustrating. Some offices take walk-ins for urgent matters like survivor benefits. Make sure to ask specifically about when the benefits will start - sometimes there can be a delay between approval and the first payment, so knowing the timeline helps with budgeting. Your mom really deserves that higher payment after what she's been through.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Grace. This is such a difficult time, and dealing with government bureaucracy on top of grief is incredibly stressful. Your mom is absolutely entitled to your dad's full $2,750 benefit since it's higher than her own. At 84, she's well past full retirement age, so there's no reduction for her current age. The fact that she took her own benefits early at 62 doesn't affect her survivor benefits at all - they're calculated separately. A few things that might help with the SSA call: - Try calling right at 8am when they open - Have someone else (like you) on the call to help advocate for her - If you get disconnected, don't give up - it's unfortunately common - Consider visiting your local SSA office in person if phone calls aren't working The difference between $1,250 and $2,750 is huge for someone on a fixed income, so every month of delay really matters. I hope you can get through to them quickly and get this sorted out for her. She's earned this benefit and deserves to receive it without having to jump through hoops. Keep us updated on how it goes!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Grace. Losing a parent is never easy, and having to navigate the SSA bureaucracy during this difficult time makes it even harder. The good news is that your mom is absolutely entitled to your dad's full survivor benefit of $2,750 since it's higher than her current $1,250. At 84, she's well beyond full retirement age, so she qualifies for 100% of his benefit amount. The early filing at 62 on her own record doesn't impact survivor benefits at all - they're completely separate calculations. I'd suggest trying a few different approaches to reach SSA: 1. Call exactly at 8:00 AM when they open - you'll have the best chance of getting through 2. Try calling on Tuesday-Thursday (Mondays and Fridays tend to be busiest) 3. Consider having yourself or another family member as her authorized representative on the call 4. If all else fails, visit your local SSA field office in person One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - if your mom has any mobility or health issues that make phone calls difficult, SSA can sometimes expedite cases or provide additional assistance for vulnerable seniors. Don't hesitate to mention this when you do get through. The $1,500 monthly difference is substantial and will make a real impact on her quality of life. Wishing you both the best getting this resolved quickly.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Grace. Going through this process while grieving is incredibly difficult, but I wanted to share what worked for my family when we were in a similar situation. Your mom is definitely entitled to your dad's full $2,750 benefit since it's higher than her current amount. At 84, she qualifies for 100% of his survivor benefit regardless of when she claimed her own benefits early. Here's what finally worked for us after weeks of trying to get through to SSA: - Call exactly at 7:59 AM and press the buttons the moment they open at 8:00 AM - Use the callback feature if available rather than staying on hold - Try the Spanish language option (press 2) - sometimes those lines are less busy, and they can transfer you to an English-speaking agent - If you get through but the agent seems confused about survivor benefits, politely ask to speak with someone who specializes in survivor benefits Also, consider contacting your congressional representative's office for constituent services - they can sometimes help cut through SSA red tape for seniors, especially in urgent situations like this where your mom needs the higher payment to cover her expenses. The financial difference this will make for your mom is huge, so don't give up. You're being a wonderful advocate for her during this difficult time.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Grace. My heart goes out to you and your mom during this difficult time. I can confirm what others have said - your mom absolutely can and should switch to survivor benefits based on your dad's record. At 84, she's well past full retirement age and will be entitled to his full $2,750 monthly benefit since it's higher than her current $1,250. The fact that she took her own benefits early at 62 won't reduce her survivor benefits at all - they're calculated completely separately. One thing I'd add that I haven't seen mentioned yet: when you do get through to SSA, make sure to ask about the effective date of the survivor benefits. Sometimes they can make them effective the month of death rather than the month of application, especially if there were delays in getting through to them that weren't your fault. Also, if your mom has any difficulty with phone calls due to hearing or other issues, you can become her authorized representative for this call. Just mention that at the beginning and they'll have her verbally authorize you to speak on her behalf. The monthly difference of $1,500 will make such a huge impact on her quality of life. Don't give up if the first few calls don't go through - she's absolutely entitled to this benefit and it's worth the persistence. Wishing you both strength during this process.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Grace. Losing a parent is incredibly difficult, and having to navigate government bureaucracy during grief makes it even harder. Your mom is absolutely entitled to your dad's full $2,750 survivor benefit since it's higher than her current amount. At 84, she qualifies for 100% regardless of when she filed her own benefits - survivor benefits are calculated completely separately from her early filing at 62. Here are some additional strategies that helped when my aunt went through this: - Try calling right before lunch (11:30 AM-12:00 PM) when call volume sometimes dips - If you get a busy signal, hang up and immediately redial - don't wait - Ask specifically for the "survivor benefits department" when you get through - Consider downloading the SSA mobile app to check if you can start any paperwork online first Also, make sure to mention that your mom is 84 and may have difficulty with long phone waits - sometimes they can expedite cases for elderly callers or offer a callback option. The $1,500 monthly increase will make such a difference in her quality of life. She paid into this system her whole working life and deserves every penny. Stay persistent - you're being an amazing advocate for her during this tough time.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Grace. Losing a parent is never easy, and dealing with Social Security on top of everything else just adds to the stress. The great news is that your mom will definitely be able to get your dad's full $2,750 monthly benefit! At 84, she's well past full retirement age, so she qualifies for 100% of his survivor benefit. The fact that she took her own benefits early at 62 doesn't matter at all for survivor benefits - they're completely separate calculations. I went through this exact situation with my grandmother two years ago. She was also getting a reduced benefit from filing early, but once we got through to SSA, they switched her to my grandfather's much higher amount with no reduction. A couple of tips that really helped us: - Call exactly at 8:00 AM when they open - set multiple alarms! - Have all the documents ready: death certificate, marriage certificate, both Social Security numbers - Don't hang up if you get put on hold, even if it's a long wait - Ask about the $255 lump sum death benefit too The hardest part is just getting through to a human being, but once you do, the actual process was pretty straightforward for us. That extra $1,500 per month will make such a huge difference for your mom's quality of life. Hang in there - she's absolutely entitled to this benefit and it's worth the hassle to get it sorted out.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Grace. Losing a parent is heartbreaking, and having to navigate Social Security bureaucracy during your grief makes everything so much harder. Your mom is absolutely entitled to switch to your dad's full $2,750 survivor benefit! At 84, she's well past full retirement age and qualifies for 100% of his benefit since it's higher than her current $1,250. The early filing at 62 on her own record won't affect her survivor benefits at all - they're calculated completely separately. I just went through this process with my own mother-in-law last year. Here's what I learned: - Call SSA at exactly 8:00 AM when they open (seriously, have the number dialed and ready) - Try Tuesday through Thursday - avoid Mondays and Fridays if possible - Have all documents ready: death certificate, marriage certificate, both SSNs, and her banking info - Don't forget to ask about the $255 lump sum death benefit - If the first agent seems unsure about survivor benefits, politely ask to speak with someone who specializes in them The phone system is frustrating, but don't give up. That $1,500 monthly difference will be life-changing for your mom, especially at 84 when every dollar matters for her security and comfort. She worked hard her whole life and deserves this benefit. If phone calls become impossible, consider visiting your local SSA office in person. Sometimes face-to-face gets results when phone calls don't. Thinking of you both during this difficult time. You're being such a good advocate for her.