If both spouses claim Social Security at 62, how does survivor benefit work when higher earner dies?

my mom went thru this. when dad died she got his amount not hers. but i think they both waited till 65 or something. not sure if it matters that u took it early

As a surviving spouse, you would be eligible for survivor benefits based on your deceased husband's record. However, there are important things to understand: 1. If you both claim at 62, you'd receive survivor benefits based on what your husband would have received at his Full Retirement Age (FRA), not his reduced age-62 benefit. 2. The fact that you claimed your own benefits early doesn't directly affect the survivor benefit calculation, but there are complications with how SSA applies reductions. 3. If you're already receiving reduced retirement benefits on your own record when your husband passes, SSA will pay the higher of: your own reduced benefit or a reduced survivor benefit. The reduction to survivor benefits depends on YOUR age when you begin receiving them, not when you started your own benefits. This is a complex area of Social Security planning that many people misunderstand.

The previous answer is mostly correct, but I want to add some critical nuances. When your husband passes away, you would be eligible for a survivor benefit equal to what he would have received at his FRA, but with some adjustments: 1. If he claimed early at 62, and passes away before his FRA, your survivor benefit would be limited to the larger of: - 82.5% of his PIA (Primary Insurance Amount, the benefit at FRA) - The reduced benefit he was actually receiving 2. Your own early claiming decision creates a separate reduction to your survivor benefits IF you haven't reached your own FRA when you apply for survivor benefits. 3. You can actually switch between benefits. You could take your reduced retirement benefit at 62, then later switch to the full survivor benefit at your FRA. This is why coordinated claiming strategies between spouses are so important - they affect not just retirement benefits but survivor benefits too.

I've been trying to figure this out for MONTHS! Called Social Security like 20 times and kept getting disconnected or told different things every time. One agent told me survivors get exactly what the deceased was getting, another said it's based on FRA amount. So frustrating!!! Does anybody know if there's a way to actually talk to someone who KNOWS the real answers?!?

my sister went thru all this last year. biggest advice: KEEP RECORDS OF EVERYTHING ssa tells u. they sometimes give wrong info and u gotta prove what they said later. she got conflicting info about survivor benifits too. big mess to fix

To address some confusion in this thread: 1. The surviving spouse doesn't simply get "what the deceased was receiving" - it's more complex 2. The 82.5% rule mentioned earlier is correct and is called the "widow(er)'s limit" - it prevents the survivor benefit from being reduced below 82.5% of the deceased's PIA regardless of when they claimed 3. If both of you claim at 62, and your husband passes away after his FRA, the survivor benefit would be based on his reduced benefit amount (what he was actually receiving) 4. If he passes before his FRA, the special rules apply (the widow(er)'s limit) 5. Your own claiming age for survivor benefits matters - you get the full survivor amount if you wait until your FRA to claim it Survivor benefits are genuinely one of the most complex areas of Social Security, and even some SSA employees get confused about the details.

Thank you all for the helpful information. I didn't realize how complicated this would be! So if I understand correctly: 1. If we both claim at 62 and my husband passes away before his FRA (which is 67), I'd get the larger of either 82.5% of his PIA or what he was actually receiving at 62 2. If he passes after his FRA, I'd just get what he was actually receiving 3. My own claiming decision creates separate reductions if I'm not at my FRA when applying for survivor benefits Based on this, should we reconsider our plan? Maybe he should wait longer even if I claim early? I really appreciate all the guidance.