Missed survivor benefits after husband's death 10 years ago - can I still claim at 58?

omg this is why i hate the SSA!!! they ALWAYS give people the wrong info. yes, widow benefits can start at 50 if ur disabled or at 60 if not. You probably lost out on a ton of money if u were disabled back then. call them ASAP

The previous commenter is partially correct, but let me clarify some important details about survivor benefits: 1. Survivor benefits can begin as early as age 50 IF you are disabled. 2. If you're not disabled, survivor benefits can begin at age 60 (or age 50 if disabled). 3. Benefits taken before your full retirement age will be reduced. Since you mentioned you were 48 when your husband passed and don't mention disability, the SSA representative was technically correct that you wouldn't qualify immediately. However, they should have clearly explained that you would become eligible at age 60, not full retirement age. Unfortunately, SSA generally doesn't provide retroactive benefits beyond 6 months for survivors, so you likely won't be able to claim benefits for the past years. However, you should definitely contact them when you approach age 60 to apply for survivor benefits.

When my wife died they told me the same thing but I had to really push to get the right answers. Rules are different for widows/widowers than regular retirement. Did your husband earn a lot more than you? That matters too.

As someone who works with Social Security claims, I want to add some important points: 1. You should apply for survivor benefits 3 months before you turn 60 2. Taking survivor benefits at 60 will result in about a 28.5% reduction from what you'd get at your Full Retirement Age (FRA) 3. You have options! You could take reduced survivor benefits at 60, then switch to your own retirement benefits later if they would be higher (or vice versa) 4. The decision between taking survivor benefits early vs. waiting involves comparing benefit amounts and your current needs Important: Make sure to bring your marriage certificate, his death certificate, and your birth certificate when you apply. Also, if he received Social Security benefits before passing, they might need information about those payments.

sorry ur going through this. the same thing happened to my sister and she was so mad when she found out! she could have been getting money for years but nobody told her about the age 60 thing either!

Good advice here already, but wanted to add something important: When you're ready to apply, CALL AHEAD to schedule an appointment. I tried to do this last year when applying for survivor benefits and spent WEEKS trying to get through on the phone. Kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in less than 5 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Totally worth it because I was able to schedule my appointment quickly and get everything sorted out. Considering what's at stake with your benefits, being able to actually reach someone matters!

If your husband had a good work history, you might be eligible for a pretty significant benefit. My mom gets about $2450/month from my dad's record as a survivor, and she started at 62 (which was less than she'd get at full retirement age). You should also know that if you remarried after 60, you can still get survivor benefits from your late husband's record.

I really appreciate everyone's help here. I'm frustrated that I wasn't given complete information years ago, but at least now I understand I'll be eligible when I turn 60. That's still two years away, but it gives me time to plan. I'm going to gather all my documents and apply three months before my 60th birthday as suggested. And I'll definitely use that Claimyr service to avoid the phone frustrations. Thanks again everyone - this community has been more helpful than the actual SSA office was!