Collecting both my own Social Security retirement and my late husband's survivor benefits at FRA - is it possible?
I've been a widow for 8 years now and I'm approaching my full retirement age next year (66 and 10 months). I've worked consistently throughout my life, even after my husband passed away. I'm trying to understand if I can receive BOTH my own Social Security retirement benefits AND survivor benefits from my late husband's work record once I reach my FRA. My husband had a much higher income than me throughout his career, so his benefit amount would be significantly higher. I've gotten conflicting information - some people tell me I can only receive one benefit (whichever is higher), while others say I might be able to take one now and switch to the other later. I'm trying to maximize what I receive since I'll be entirely dependent on Social Security in retirement. Has anyone navigated this successfully? What's the best strategy?
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Bruno Simmons
Unfortunately, you can't receive both benefits simultaneously at their full amounts. What you CAN do is receive one benefit now and the other later to maximize your lifetime benefits. If your own retirement benefit is lower than your survivor benefit, you might consider taking your own retirement benefit at 62 (at a reduced amount) and then switching to the survivor benefit at your FRA when it won't be reduced. Or if your survivor benefit is lower than your retirement benefit, you could take the survivor benefit first and let your own retirement benefit grow until 70 (which increases it by 8% per year after FRA). It really depends on the specific benefit amounts in your case.
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Lourdes Fox
•Thank you for explaining this! So to be clear, I have to choose which one to take at any given time? I can't receive both simultaneously even at different amounts? I'm wondering if I should call SSA directly to get the exact benefit amounts before making a decision.
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Aileen Rodriguez
my wife is in the same boat and what she did was take her survivor benefits at 60 (reduced amount but we needed it) and shes gonna switch to her own at 70 for the bigger amount. u should really run the numbers both ways because once u choose theres no going back!!!
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Zane Gray
•That's smart! My neighbor did the opposite - took her own smaller benefit early and then switched to her husband's survivor benefit at FRA. There's definitely no one-size-fits-all approach with this stuff.
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Maggie Martinez
The previous commenter is correct that you can't receive both simultaneously at full value. However, to clarify the strategy: You have options depending on which benefit is larger. If your survivor benefit is higher, you can take your own reduced retirement at 62 and switch to the full survivor benefit at your FRA. If your own retirement benefit would be higher (especially if you let it grow to age 70), you could take the survivor benefit at FRA and switch to your own at 70 when it's reached its maximum value. The SSA website explains this under "If You Are The Survivor" section. The key is knowing the exact benefit amounts to make an informed decision.
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Lourdes Fox
•This is really helpful information. I think I need to contact Social Security to get precise benefit amounts before making any decisions. Do you know if there's any benefit to applying for survivor benefits now, before my FRA, even if I don't take them?
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Alejandro Castro
I tried to do EXACTLY what you're talking about and it was a NIGHTMARE dealing with Social Security!!! I called for WEEKS and couldn't get through. When I finally did, the person gave me completely wrong information and I almost made a terrible mistake with my benefits. The rules about switching between benefits are complicated and not all SSA reps understand them correctly. Be really careful and get everything in writing!!!
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Monique Byrd
•I had a similar frustrating experience trying to reach SSA about my benefits last year. After weeks of busy signals and disconnected calls, I discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at Social Security within 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - it saved me so much stress and I was able to get accurate information about my survivor/retirement benefit options. Definitely worth it when you're making such important financial decisions that will affect you for the rest of your life.
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Jackie Martinez
my condolences on losing your husband. i lost mine too and social security was really confusing for me too. i ended up just taking my survivors benefit at FRA because it was higher than my own would ever be. i dont think you can get both but you should definitely check what the amounts would be for each option
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Lourdes Fox
•Thank you, and I'm sorry for your loss as well. It's been 8 years for me but figuring out these benefits still feels overwhelming. I appreciate you sharing what worked in your situation.
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Bruno Simmons
One more important point: Make sure to have the SSA run calculations for you that show what your own retirement benefit would be at 62, FRA, and 70, as well as what your survivor benefit would be if taken at FRA. With these four numbers, you can make an informed decision. For example, if your monthly survivor benefit at FRA would be $2,500 and your own retirement at 70 would be $2,800, it might make sense to take the survivor benefit at FRA and switch to your own at 70. But if your own benefit at 70 would only be $2,300, then you'd be better off just staying with the survivor benefit. This is why the actual benefit amounts matter so much.
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Zane Gray
•This is good advice! My aunt didn't do this calculation and just took her own benefit early. Years later she found out she could have gotten way more by taking the survivor benefit first and switching. Once you make these choices you usually can't undo them.
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Aileen Rodriguez
i read somethin about restricted applications but not sure if thats still a thing now??? i think they changed the rules a few years back
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Maggie Martinez
•You're right that the rules changed with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. Restricted applications (where you could take just spousal/survivor while letting your own grow) are now only available to people born before January 2, 1954. However, survivor benefits are different - the option to switch between survivor and retirement benefits continues to be available regardless of birth year. That's why the original poster still has these options even approaching FRA in 2025.
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Alejandro Castro
I swear the whole social security system is DESIGNED to be confusing! My sister lost out on thousands because an SSA rep told her wrong information about survivor benefits. She couldn't even file a complaint that went anywhere. The whole system needs an overhaul!
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Aileen Rodriguez
•so true!!! my brother-in-law got told 3 different things by 3 different people at SSA about the same question!!!
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Monique Byrd
Based on what you've shared, your best strategy would likely be to compare these two approaches: 1) Take your survivor benefit at FRA (when it's not reduced) and switch to your own retirement at 70 (after it's grown by 32%) 2) Take your reduced retirement benefit now and switch to the full survivor benefit at your FRA The right choice depends on your specific benefit amounts and your life expectancy. Generally, if you're in good health and expect to live past your early 80s, maximizing the higher benefit by delaying it can pay off significantly over time. I'd recommend contacting SSA directly to get detailed benefit estimates, and consider consulting with a financial advisor who specializes in Social Security claiming strategies.
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Lourdes Fox
•Thank you for laying out these options so clearly. I definitely plan to live into my 90s based on my family history, so maximizing the long-term benefit makes sense. I'll call SSA to get the exact numbers and maybe look into a financial advisor with Social Security expertise.
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