Can my father claim Social Security survivor benefits if he earned more than my late mother who was on SSDI?

I'm sorry for your loss. Yes, your father can potentially claim survivor benefits, but whether he should depends on the benefit amounts. Even though your father was the higher earner, he should check with SSA because as a widower, he could receive up to 100% of your mother's SSDI benefit amount if it's higher than his current retirement benefit. If his benefit is already higher, then there's no advantage to switching. The fact that she was on SSDI rather than retirement doesn't matter for survivor benefits purposes - SSDI converts to retirement benefits at full retirement age anyway, though the amount stays the same.

When my wife died she was on SSDI to. I went to social security office and they said i couldnt get anything cause my benefit was higher then hers. but they did give me a one time death benefit of $255 which is ridiculas small but better then nothing i guess

Based on the numbers you shared in your reply ($2,450 vs $1,850), your father would not benefit from switching to survivor benefits since his own benefit is already higher. However, I strongly recommend he still contact SSA to verify this, as benefit calculations can be complex. Sometimes there are factors that might affect the final amount. One important note: He should inquire about the lump-sum death payment of $255 that SSA provides to surviving spouses. It's not much, but he's entitled to it. Also, make sure to notify SSA about your mother's passing if you haven't already - sometimes Medicare premiums continue to be deducted if they're not properly notified, which can cause complications later.

I went through something similar when my husband passed last year. Been SO frustrating dealing with SSA!!! I spent WEEKS trying to get through on their 800 number and kept getting disconnected or told the wait time was over 2 hours. I finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual SSA agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I talked to SSA, they told me I wasn't eligible for my husband's benefits since mine were higher (sounds like your dad's situation). But they did process that small death benefit payment for me at least. Good luck to your dad!

Sorry about your mom. I think everyone here is right about your dad probably not getting survivor benefits if his own benefit is already higher. But there's one thing nobody mentioned - if your mom worked enough years under Social Security before going on disability, your dad MIGHT be eligible for a special minimum benefit in some very specific circumstances. It's rare but worth asking about. When my neighbor's wife died, he was shocked to learn there was a small additional amount he could get even though his benefit was higher. Something to do with her work history in a specific period. Every case is different with SS!

one more thing DONT FORGET to return the last check if SS deposited money for the month she died!! they will take it back later anyway and charge you interest or penalties. they did this to my brother and it was a huge mess cause he spent the money not realizing

so sorry about your mom :( my dad died last year and we had to deal with all this ss stuff too. really stressful time. we found out the funeral home actually reported his death to ssa for us, maybe yours did too? might wanna check