Can my current wife collect Social Security survivor benefits with two previous deceased wives on my record?

This is completely false information you've been given. Social Security doesn't have a 'beneficiary list' that you need to update or manage. Survivor benefits are determined by relationship status at time of death and meeting other eligibility requirements, not by some list you need to maintain. Your current wife would be eligible for survivor benefits on your record when you pass as long as she meets the basic requirements (generally being at least 60, or 50 if disabled, or caring for your child under 16). The fact that you were married previously and had two wives who may have received or be receiving benefits on your record doesn't affect your current wife's future eligibility. I think someone may have confused Social Security with life insurance policies, where you do need to update beneficiaries.

The same thing happened to my brother-in-law!!! He was told by his financial advisor that he needed to "clear" his deceased wife from his social security before his new wife could get benefits. He spent HOURS on hold with SSA trying to fix this non-existent problem. Don't waste your time!!

What matters for your current wife's survivor benefits is: 1. Your marriage must be at least 9 months duration at time of death (you're already well past this at 8 years) 2. She must be at least age 60 (or 50 if disabled) to collect survivor benefits 3. If she remarries after your death, she generally can't get survivor benefits on your record unless that marriage occurs after she turns 60 There is absolutely no process to "remove" previous spouses from Social Security. Your deceased former spouses may be eligible for survivor benefits on your record too if their marriages to you lasted at least 10 years, but this does NOT affect your current wife's eligibility. This is one of those unfortunate Social Security myths that keeps circulating.

The SSA doesn't work like that AT ALL! I went thru similar confusion when my husband passed in 2022. There's no "list" you have to update. They determine eligibility based on marriage certificates and death certificates when the time comes. YOUR CURRENT WIFE IS FINE! Don't stress about this!!!!

My mom went through this exact thing with my stepdad. He had a deceased wife and the funeral home actually told him he needed to "update his social security" so my mom would be eligible later. Complete nonsense! Just make sure all your marriages are properly documented with certificates.

One thing worth noting: When someone does pass away, the family should notify Social Security of the death (usually the funeral home does this). This isn't about a "beneficiary list" but simply informing SSA of the death so benefits stop appropriately. Perhaps this is what got misinterpreted in the advice you received.

I tried calling SS last month about my retirement application status and was on hold for 2.5 HOURS before getting disconnected!!! Then tried again and waited another hour! If you DO need to talk to SSA for any reason (NOT for this beneficiary thing which is fake), you might want to try using Claimyr. My neighbor told me about it - claimyr.com - they get you a callback from SSA without the crazy wait. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU that shows how it works. Saved me so much frustration when I needed to fix a problem with my application.

Just to add one more clarification: Multiple eligible survivors can receive benefits based on one worker's record simultaneously. So theoretically, if both your ex-wives were eligible for survivor benefits (if marriages lasted 10+ years and they never remarried before 60), AND your current wife becomes eligible in the future, all three could potentially receive benefits on your record. The benefits of one don't reduce or affect the others. This is why there's no need for any kind of "removal" process - the system is designed to handle multiple eligible survivors.

my grandma got remarried after my grandpa died and she still gets his ss payment every month! shes 82 now. the SSA doesn't care about ur previous marriages they just look at if u qualify now based on age and stuff