Can my widow wife receive both spousal AND survivor benefits on my Social Security record?
I'm 63 and considering marrying my girlfriend (55) who is currently widowed. We understand that once we marry, she'll lose eligibility for survivor benefits on her late husband's record. What I'm confused about is what happens with MY Social Security. When I retire, will she be eligible to collect both spousal benefits based on our marriage AND survivor benefits if I pass away? Or does she only get one type of benefit? The SSA website is confusing me with all these different rules. Also, does the length of our marriage matter for either benefit type? Really appreciate any help understanding this!
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Luca Esposito
i think ur confused. she cant get two benefits at same time while ur alive. she'd get spousal when u retire (if it's more than her own) then survivor only if u die. and yea marriage length matters - pretty sure its 9 months for survivor and 1 yr for spousal
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Zara Ahmed
•Thanks for responding! So just to be clear, while I'm alive she would only get spousal benefits (if higher than her own), and then if I die she would switch to survivor benefits? Do you know if the survivor benefits would be higher than the spousal ones?
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Nia Thompson
There seems to be some confusion here. Let me clarify how this works with Social Security: 1. While you are both alive, your wife can receive spousal benefits (up to 50% of your full retirement amount) once she reaches age 62, IF those benefits are higher than her own retirement benefits. 2. If you pass away, she would then be eligible for survivor benefits (up to 100% of your benefit) instead of spousal benefits. 3. Marriage length requirements: 1 year for spousal benefits and 9 months for survivor benefits (with some exceptions). She cannot receive both types simultaneously - it's either spousal OR survivor benefits, depending on whether you're living or deceased. And in either case, she only gets the higher of her own benefit or the spousal/survivor benefit, not both combined.
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Zara Ahmed
•This makes a lot more sense. So survivor benefits would potentially be twice as much as spousal (100% vs 50% of my benefit). One more question - if she takes her own benefits early at 62, would that reduce what she could get from MY record later?
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Mateo Rodriguez
My sister went thru something similar! Your girlfriend needs to think carefully about this marriage if $$ is a factor. When my sister remarried at 53 (also a widow), she lost her deceased husband's survivor benefits COMPLETELY. Social Security rules are brutal for widows who remarry before 60!!!! Just make sure your girlfriend knows what she's giving up financially before you get married.
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Zara Ahmed
•Yeah, we're aware she'll lose her current survivor benefits once we marry. We're trying to understand what she'll be eligible for through me once I start collecting Social Security and eventually when I pass. Thanks for the warning though - the financial aspects are definitely something we're weighing carefully.
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GalaxyGuardian
When I was trying to figure out my own complicated SS situation, I spent HOURS on hold with the SSA and kept getting disconnected! Finally tried Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an actual SSA agent within 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. If you really want clear answers about your specific situation, talking directly to SSA is probably your best bet since your case involves remarriage, survivor benefits, and age considerations. Way better than getting conflicting advice online.
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Zara Ahmed
•I've never heard of this service, but I'll definitely check it out. You're right that we probably need to speak directly with SSA about our specific situation. I've tried calling them twice and got disconnected both times after waiting over an hour.
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Aisha Abdullah
Unfortunately there's a lot of MISinformation in the comments. Here are the FACTS: 1) Your girlfriend will LOSE her current survivor benefits when you marry because she's under 60 2) She CAN'T get both spousal and survivor benefits on YOUR record simultaneously - that's not how SS works! 3) After marriage, when she reaches retirement age, she'll get the HIGHEST of: her own benefit, spousal benefit (up to 50% of yours), or IF you're deceased, survivor benefit (up to 100% of yours) The age she claims makes a BIG difference too. Taking benefits early (before her FRA) will PERMANENTLY reduce whatever she gets. Anyone saying she can get both types at once is WRONG.
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Ethan Wilson
•My friend works at Social Security and this is 100% correct. The rule is always that you get the highest benefit you're eligible for, not multiple benefits added together. OP, make sure you both understand what you're giving up by marrying before age 60.
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Yuki Tanaka
This is actually a great question about Social Security benefits coordination. To clarify a few points: - Marriage length requirements are indeed 9 months for survivor benefits and 1 year for spousal benefits (with some exceptions) - When planning, remember that survivor benefits can be claimed as early as age 60 (or 50 if disabled), while spousal benefits start at 62 - If your future wife takes ANY benefit early (before her Full Retirement Age), it will be permanently reduced - The most valuable strategy would likely be for her to wait until her Full Retirement Age to maximize whatever benefits she's eligible for I'd recommend scheduling an appointment with SSA to discuss your specific situation, as these rules have nuances based on both your earnings histories.
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Zara Ahmed
•Thank you for the detailed explanation! We'll definitely schedule an appointment with SSA. One thing I'm still not clear on - if she claims her own retirement early at 62, would that permanently reduce what she could later get as a widow on my record? Or are widow's benefits completely separate from retirement benefits?
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Yuki Tanaka
That's an excellent follow-up question. Claiming her own retirement benefits early would NOT affect potential future survivor benefits on your record. Survivor benefits are indeed calculated separately from retirement benefits. So if she claimed her own retirement at 62 (reduced), and you passed away years later, she could still get the full survivor benefit based on your record (assuming she's at her Full Retirement Age when claiming survivor benefits). This is one of the few situations where benefits are truly independent of each other. The reduction for early filing only applies to the specific benefit being claimed early.
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Zara Ahmed
•That's a huge relief to know! Thanks so much for explaining this. We've been worried that her taking early retirement would permanently reduce everything. I'll still try to connect with SSA directly, but this gives us a much better starting point for planning.
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