How to find out my widow's benefit amount before applying for Social Security retirement

You definitely want to find out both benefit amounts before making any decisions. In most cases, you'd want to take the higher benefit, but sometimes there are strategies where you take one type first and switch later. The online system doesn't show widow's benefits - that's normal. You'll need to speak with an SSA representative to get that information. I'd recommend making an in-person appointment at your local field office. Bring your late husband's Social Security number, death certificate, and marriage certificate. They can calculate both benefits and help you determine the best strategy.

When my husband died they NEVER told me I could collect widow benefits!!! I found out 3 YEARS LATER from a friend and lost out on thousands!!! The SSA doesn't volunteer information about what benefits you qualify for - they expect YOU to know your options. Don't trust them to give you the right info even if you do get through. Bring someone with you who understands the system or you might get shortchanged!!!!

same thing happened to me trying to call SS. gave up after being on hold for 2 hrs then got disconnected. went to local office instead and waited 3 hrs but finally got answers. bring ALL ur docs - marriage cert, death cert, birth cert. they might not need all but better safe than sorry

I lost my husband two years ago and went through this exact situation. What I learned: the local office is hit or miss depending on who you get. I ended up using a service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual person at the 800 number in about 20 minutes instead of hours on hold. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - it saved me so much frustration! Once I got through, the agent was able to give me both benefit amounts and I found out my widow's benefit was about $370 more per month than my own. I never would have known without talking to them directly.

There's an important strategy consideration here, especially since you're in your early 60s. If you're eligible for both benefits, you might want to consider taking the LOWER benefit first, then switching to the higher benefit later. This works because survivor benefits and your own retirement benefits have different growth rates if you delay. For example, if your own retirement benefit at Full Retirement Age (FRA) would be slightly lower than your survivor benefit, it might make sense to take the survivor benefit now and switch to your own at 70 when it's grown by 8% per year from your FRA. Conversely, if your survivor benefit is lower, you might take that now and switch to your own retirement benefit at your FRA. This is why getting the exact benefit amounts is so important before making your decision.

just wondering but does it matter how long u were married? i have a friend who was only married 7 yrs before her husband passed

Has anyone tried the new online scheduler for appointments? I've heard they added it to the website but haven't tried it myself.

Update: I finally got some answers! I used the Claimyr service that was suggested and got through to SSA in about 15 minutes. The agent was very helpful and looked up both benefit amounts for me. Turns out my widow's benefit would be about $425 more per month than my own retirement benefit at my current age. The agent explained I have two main options: 1. Take the widow's benefit now and let my own benefit continue to grow until 70 2. Take the widow's benefit now as that's the higher amount Since my own benefit even at age 70 won't exceed my husband's, option 2 makes the most sense for me. I've scheduled an in-person appointment to complete the application process. Thank you everyone for your help!

One thing nobody mentioned - if you're still working, the earnings limit might affect your benefits until you reach full retirement age. For 2025, if you're under FRA the entire year, you lose $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above $22,900 (approximately). Something to factor into your decision if you're still employed.