Does my deceased husband's Social Security benefit still grow if I delay survivor benefits until after 60?

I'm very sorry for your loss. To answer your specific question: No, your husband's Social Security benefit does not continue to grow after his death. The survivor benefit is calculated based on what he would have received at his full retirement age (or what he was actually receiving if he had already claimed) at the time of his death. If you wait until your full retirement age (probably 67 for you) to claim the survivor benefit, you would receive 100% of his benefit amount. If you claim at 60, you'd receive about 71.5% of his full benefit. One strategy to consider: you can actually claim different benefits at different times. For example, you could claim your survivor benefit at 60 and then switch to your own retirement benefit later if it would be higher (which is unlikely if he was the higher earner, but worth checking). Or claim your own reduced retirement benefit at 62 and then switch to the full survivor benefit at your FRA.

sry about ur husband. my mom went thru similar thing when dad died. the SSA ppl told her the benefit is frozen when he died. it doesnt grow anymore. she took it at 60 cuz she needed money then. but if u can wait til later u get more per month

The most important thing to understand is that you have OPTIONS with survivor benefits that you don't have with regular retirement benefits. I was in a similar situation after my husband died. Here's what the SSA doesn't always explain clearly: you can claim YOUR OWN reduced retirement benefit at 62 and then switch to the FULL survivor benefit at your FRA (probably 67). OR you can claim the reduced survivor benefit at 60 and switch to your own benefit later if it would be higher (especially if you keep working). This flexibility is UNIQUE to survivor benefits! With regular spousal benefits you can't do this switching strategy anymore. Since you're only 52, you have time to plan. Keep working if possible to increase your own benefit. When you're closer to 60, call SSA and ask for a benefits calculation for BOTH scenarios to see which claiming strategy gives you more money over your lifetime.

Trying to get accurate info from SSA is IMPOSSIBLE. I spent 3 weeks calling about my widow benefits and kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours!!!! Their website is confusing and the calculators don't work right for survivor situations. The whole system is broken!!!!

One thing no one has mentioned yet - since you have minor children, be aware that there's a "family maximum" limit on the total benefits payable on one worker's record. Right now, your children are receiving benefits, but there's a cap on the total your family can receive (usually 150-180% of your husband's benefit). If you were to claim survivor benefits now (which you can't until 60 anyway), it might reduce what your children receive due to this family maximum. Once they age out of benefits at 18, this won't be an issue for you.

I should add something important - make sure you're considering ALL possible benefits. If you're caring for children under 16, you might qualify for mother's/father's benefits NOW (before 60), which are separate from widow(er)'s benefits. Have you looked into this? It's different than survivor benefits at 60.

My aunt took her husbands SS right at 60 becuz she needed money and regrets it now. She gets way less than if she waited till her FRA. Just saying think carefully about when u claim!!!

One more thing to consider as you plan: Keep track of your own earnings. If you continue working, your own benefit may grow. You should request a Social Security statement annually to monitor both your potential retirement benefit AND your potential survivor benefit. This helps you optimize your claiming strategy as you approach age 60-62. Also, survivor benefits and retirement benefits have different rules. You can claim survivor benefits as early as 60 (or 50 if disabled), but your own retirement benefit can't be claimed until 62. This creates those strategic claiming opportunities others have mentioned.