Can my friend claim reduced survivor benefits at 62 from ex-husband who died after divorce?

Yes, she can definitely claim divorced spouse survivor benefits since they were married over 10 years. But taking them at 62 instead of her full retirement age (probably 67 for her) WILL permanently reduce the benefit amount. I think it's about a 28-30% reduction if she takes them at 62 instead of waiting. She should ask the SSA rep about the exact reduction percentage in her case. Also, she should ask about her options for switching to her own retirement benefit later if that would be higher.

my aunt did this exact thing last year!!! she started gettin survivors benefits from her ex at 62 and yes it was reduced but she said it was still worth it becuz she needed the money now not later. tell your friend to bring the divorce papers and his death certificate to the appointment for sure!!!!!

Based on my experience as a former SSA employee, here's what your friend should know: 1. Yes, she qualifies for divorced spouse survivor benefits since they were married over 10 years and she hasn't remarried. 2. Taking benefits at 62 instead of her Full Retirement Age (FRA) will result in a permanent reduction - approximately 28.5% less than if she waited until FRA. 3. The benefit amount will be based on 100% of what her ex-husband was entitled to receive (if taken at her FRA) - not necessarily what he was actually receiving. 4. The fact that he died after they divorced does not affect her eligibility as long as they were married 10+ years. 5. She should also ask about the possibility of restricting her application to survivor benefits only, which might allow her own retirement benefit to grow until age 70 if that would result in a higher amount.

I went through something similar but SSA kept giving me the runaround for MONTHS!!! Every time I called, I'd wait for 2+ hours only to get disconnected or told different information. So frustrating! Make sure your friend documents EVERYTHING from every conversation.

wut if she's working? doesn't SS have some kinda earnings limit if ur under FRA? my brother got in trouble for that last year

Just a heads up...the SSA appointment and phone interview might not be enough. My sister had THREE different appointments before her survivor benefits were processed correctly. The rules for divorced spouse survivor benefits can be complicated and some SSA reps don't deal with them often enough to know all the details. Tell your friend to be persistent!!!

does anyone know if she can get the LUMP SUM DEATH BENEFIT too? isn't that like $255 or something

my cousin said something about a 60 day window after applying where u can withdraw ur application if u change ur mind about taking early benefits. might be worth asking about that too in case she decides to wait for full amount later

Another thing she should consider is that survivor benefits taken early are reduced differently than regular retirement benefits. The reduction for survivor benefits at age 62 is about 28.5%, while regular retirement at 62 would be reduced by about 30%. The exact percentage depends on her specific FRA. The SSA representative should be able to calculate the exact amount during her appointment.