Does Social Security survivor benefits include COLA increases like regular retirement benefits?

Yes, survivor benefits do receive the same annual COLA increases that apply to all Social Security benefits. When you start receiving survivor benefits, you'll get the same COLAs that your husband's benefit would have received had he still been alive. The initial amount is based on your husband's benefit at the time of his death (potentially with some adjustments depending on your age when you claim), but after that, each January when Social Security announces the COLA increase, your survivor benefit will increase by that same percentage. For budgeting purposes, remember that COLA changes vary year to year based on inflation. This year's COLA was 3.2%, but it's been as high as 8.7% (2023) or as low as 0% (2016) in recent years.

my mom gets survivor benefits from my dad and they def go up every year with the cola. she always knows exactly what percent its going up in october when they announce it and plans her budget. been getting them for like 15 yrs now

I'm sorry for your loss. When my husband died in 2019, I was told by SSA that survivor benefits are calculated based on his benefit at time of death, but YES they do increase with COLA each year just like regular retirement benefits. BUT there's something else you should know - the age you claim makes a HUGE difference! If you take survivor benefits at 60, you'll only get 71.5% of his full benefit amount. If you wait until your full retirement age (probably 67 if you're turning 60 next year), you get 100% of what he was receiving! The SSA website is so confusing about this stuff!!! I spent WEEKS trying to figure it all out when my husband passed.

One important detail worth knowing: if your husband claimed his retirement benefits early (before his full retirement age), when you calculate your survivor benefits, Social Security may apply something called the RIB-LIM rule. This can limit your survivor benefit in some cases. On the flip side, if he delayed his benefits beyond full retirement age to earn delayed retirement credits, those increases will be included in your survivor benefit calculation. And yes, once established, your survivor benefit will receive the same annual COLA increases as all other Social Security benefits. The most recent COLA for 2024 was 3.2%, and the 2025 COLA will be announced in October of this year. If you have both your own retirement benefit and survivor benefits, you might want to consider a strategy of claiming one type early and the other later to maximize your lifetime benefits.

I had this same problem trying to figure out survivor benefits after my wife passed last year. Spent DAYS trying to get through to SSA on the phone just to ask basic questions like this. Finally found a service called Claimyr that got me connected to an actual SSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. It costs a bit but saved me so much frustration. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU and their website is claimyr.com. The SSA agent I spoke with confirmed that survivor benefits do get the COLA increases each year, and they helped me understand some special rules that applied in my case.

My wife gets survivor benefits from her first husband who died in 2005 and YES they definitely increase with COLA every year. She gets the announcement letter every December telling her what her new amount will be starting in January. BUT WAIT!!!!! If you're turning 60 next year and you have your own work record, make sure you understand your options!!!! You might be better off taking reduced survivor benefits at 60 and then switching to your own retirement benefit later (or vice versa). My wife didn't know this and just took both at the same time and I think she probably left a lot of money on the table. TALK TO AN EXPERT before you make any decisions!!!!!

i think everybody here is confused about something important!!! survivor benefits are NOT the same as spousal benefits! my sister thought they were the same and got really confused when she was applying. if your husband already died, you get survivor benefits, not spousal. the rules are totally different!!!

Something nobody mentioned yet - You need to call Social Security ASAP to get the $255 death benefit if you haven't already! It's not much but it's something. You have to claim it within 2 years. When my dad died they didn't automatically send it and my mom almost missed out.

Some more info since you mentioned your own work history: The survivor benefit and your own retirement benefit are calculated separately. At any given time, you'll receive the higher of the two amounts (not both combined). This creates some interesting claiming strategies, as others have mentioned. If your own benefit at age 70 would be higher than your survivor benefit, you might want to take survivor benefits at 60 and switch to your own at 70. Or if your survivor benefit at your full retirement age would be higher than your own benefit ever gets, you might take your own reduced benefit at 62 and switch to the full survivor benefit at your full retirement age. And yes, whichever benefit you're receiving will get the annual COLA increases.