Can survivor benefits receive COLA if I claim at 60? Confused about age requirements

You absolutely will receive COLA increases on your survivor benefits even when you claim at age 60. The idea that COLA only applies to people over 62 is incorrect. COLA applies to ALL Social Security benefits regardless of what age you claimed them or what type of benefit it is (retirement, disability, survivors, etc). So once you start receiving your survivor benefits, you'll get the same percentage increase that everyone else gets when they announce the COLA each October for the following year. For 2025, the COLA is expected to be around 2.5% based on current inflation projections.

I just went through this exact situation last year! Filed for survivor benefits at 60 and was confused about this too. I can confirm that I DID receive the COLA increase this past January on my survivor check, even though I'm only 61 now. The SSA representative also told me that COLA applies to all benefit types regardless of the age you claim. The person who told you otherwise might have been confusing it with something else related to age 62 (which is the earliest age for regular retirement benefits).

Just wanted to add that COLA stands for Cost of Living Adjustment and it has NOTHING to do with what age you claimed benefits. It's just a way the government adjusts ALL Social Security payments (no matter what type) to try keep up with inflation. It's based on the Consumer Price Index. My aunt is on survivors benefits she got at 60 and she gets the same % COLA as everyone else!!! Don't worry about it!!

Since you're planning to switch to your own retirement benefits at FRA, make sure you understand how that process works. The SSA won't automatically switch you - you have to apply for your retirement benefits when you reach your FRA. If your own retirement benefit will be higher than the survivor benefit, this is a smart strategy. Just mark your calendar to apply about 3 months before your FRA. Also, if you're working while receiving survivor benefits, be aware of the earnings limit ($22,350 for 2025 if you're under FRA for the full year). Exceed that and they'll withhold $1 for every $2 you earn above the limit.

i thought survivors could get bennefits at 50 not 60???? my sister tried to get them after her husband died and they told her to wait until 60 but i swear i read somewhere that disabled widows can get them at 50. does anyone know if thats true

Has anyone else had TERRIBLE luck trying to get through to Social Security on the phone?? I've been calling for 3 DAYS trying to ask questions about my survivors benefits and either get disconnected or told the wait is over 2 HOURS!!! Is there any trick to actually talking to a human being there??

my mom gets SS survivors and they do the COLA thing every year, she got it this January and she's only 63 and been collecting since 60 so ur good

Another important thing to understand about survivor benefits: unlike retirement benefits where the reduction for claiming early is permanent, with survivor benefits the reduction percentage depends on YOUR full retirement age, not your deceased spouse's. For someone with an FRA of 67, claiming at 60 means you'll receive about 71.5% of what you would receive if you waited until your FRA. This reduction doesn't affect your ability to receive COLA increases - you'll still get the full percentage increase each year.

There's an important distinction to clarify: When calculating survivor benefits, the benefit amount starts with what your deceased spouse was receiving or would have received. However, the reduction for claiming early is based on YOUR age when you claim, not your deceased spouse's age when they claimed or would have claimed. And yes, all Social Security beneficiaries receive the same COLA percentage regardless of benefit type or claiming age. For 2024, the COLA was 3.2%, and as another commenter mentioned, 2025 is projected to be around 2.5% based on current inflation data.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Avery. I went through a similar situation about 5 years ago when my husband passed unexpectedly. I wanted to share some additional reassurance about the COLA situation - I've been receiving survivor benefits since I was 59 (I qualified early due to caring for our disabled son), and I have received every single COLA increase without fail. The January 2025 increase of 2.5% was applied to my benefit just like everyone else's. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet to track my monthly benefit amount and the COLA increases over time - it's actually quite reassuring to see that steady upward adjustment helping to maintain your purchasing power. The SSA is very consistent about applying these increases across all benefit types. You're making a smart financial decision by claiming survivor benefits now and switching to your own retirement later if it will be higher. Wishing you all the best during this difficult time.

I'm a newcomer here but wanted to chime in since I just went through the SSA application process for survivor benefits last month. The representatives I spoke with confirmed multiple times that COLA applies to ALL Social Security benefits regardless of type or claiming age. What really helped me understand this was when they explained that COLA is essentially the government's way of protecting ALL beneficiaries from inflation - it wouldn't make sense to exclude certain groups. I also found it helpful to know that the COLA is announced every October (usually around the 10th-15th) and takes effect the following January. You can actually find the official COLA announcement on the SSA website each year. One tip: once you start receiving benefits, you can sign up for a my Social Security account online to easily track your payments and see when the COLA adjustment gets applied. Hope this helps ease your worries about claiming at 60!

I'm new to this community but wanted to add my perspective as someone who works in the Social Security field. Everyone here is absolutely correct - COLA applies to ALL Social Security benefits regardless of when you claim them or what type they are. I see this confusion come up a lot, and I think it stems from people mixing up the early retirement penalty (which is permanent for retirement benefits) with COLA eligibility (which applies to everyone). The key thing to remember is that COLA is specifically designed to help ALL Social Security recipients maintain their purchasing power against inflation. It would defeat the entire purpose if certain beneficiaries were excluded. You'll receive the same percentage increase as everyone else, applied to whatever your monthly benefit amount is. The fact that your benefit might be reduced for claiming at 60 doesn't change your eligibility for annual COLA adjustments. Best of luck with your application process!