Can my mom claim Social Security survivor benefits from first husband who died 2 years ago?

Yes, your mother likely qualifies for survivor benefits based on her first husband's record! The key requirements are: 1. The marriage lasted at least 10 years (which it did) 2. She is currently unmarried (which she is) 3. She is at least 60 years old (she's 81) The fact that she remarried and then divorced doesn't matter as long as that second marriage has ended. Since she was divorced from her second husband before age 60 and hasn't remarried since, she should be eligible for survivor benefits from her first husband's record. She should contact SSA as soon as possible since there may be retroactive benefits available (though usually limited to 6 months back).

my mom had almost the same situation exceot she was married for 12 years to my dad. they told her she could get survivor benefits as long as she was single at 60, which she was. she got almost $700 more per month! definitely worth calling ssa about

Your mother will need to explicitly apply for the survivor benefits - this isn't automatic. When she applies, the SSA will determine which benefit is higher (her own retirement or the survivor benefit) and pay her the higher amount, not both. Since her first ex-husband's benefit was substantially higher, it's definitely worth pursuing. Also important: as a divorced surviving spouse, she'll receive 100% of her ex-husband's benefit if she applies at her full retirement age or later (which at 81, she's well beyond). This is different from spousal benefits on a living ex-spouse's record, which maxes out at 50%. She should gather these documents before applying: - Her Social Security card - First husband's death certificate - Their marriage certificate - Divorce decree from first marriage - Possibly documentation of second marriage and divorce She may be eligible for some retroactive benefits, but typically only up to 6 months before the application date.

I went through something similar helping my aunt last year. The 6-month retroactive limit is pretty strict unfortunately. The real frustration is trying to reach someone at SSA to handle the application! After getting disconnected multiple times and waiting on hold for hours, I found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got her through to a live agent in about 20 minutes. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU It was worth it to avoid the endless busy signals and disconnects. Your mom will need to speak directly with an agent since survivor benefits can't be applied for online, especially with her complicated marriage history.

DONT COUNT ON THIS MONEY YET!! My mother tried to get survivor benefits from my father (divorced after 11 years) and SSA made it INCREDIBLY difficult. They kept saying papers were missing or info was wrong. Took almost 8 MONTHS to finally get approved!!! And retroactive was ONLY 6 months even though dad died a year before she applied. They ALWAYS find ways to pay less!!!!!

Wait, I'm confused about something. Does it matter when the first husband died? Like, if he died when your mom was already getting her own SS, does that change anything? My dad died 5 years ago but my mom never applied for anything different with her SS. Now I'm wondering if she should have...

is she getting medicare too? make sure to tell them to keep her medicare part b payment the same if she gets higher ss. otherwise they might increase the premium based on higher income

Just to clarify on the retroactive benefits question you asked: For survivor benefits, SSA can pay up to 6 months of retroactive benefits before the application date. Unfortunately, they won't go back to the date of death if it's been almost 2 years. One important note: When she's approved for survivor benefits, SSA will stop her current retirement benefit and start paying the survivor benefit instead (assuming it's higher, which sounds likely in your case). This is a complete switch, not an add-on to her current benefit. Also, while gathering documents, make sure she has her banking information ready for direct deposit if she wants to change where the payments go.