Should I have received survivor benefits instead of my own SS? Higher earner confused about missed benefits after husband died 20 years ago

You might have missed out on potential benefits, but it depends on several factors. Even though you were the higher earner, survivor benefits are calculated differently than retirement benefits. As a widow, you could have been entitled to 100% of your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) if taken at your Full Retirement Age. The key question is whether your husband's benefit, with all the COLAs applied over 20 years, would actually be higher than your own retirement benefit. You should definitely contact SSA to look into this. If it turns out his benefit would be higher, they can advise on potential retroactive payments, though they typically only go back 6 months, not 20 years. Don't beat yourself up though - this happens to many people because survivor benefits are complicated!

my mom went thru something similar!!! the ssa people never told her about switching either and she missed out on like 2 years of better benefits. but 20 years is a long time i dont think they can go back that far for payments, sorry :

I'm NO expert but I thought survivor benefits are only better if the deceased spouse was the higher earner? Since you mentioned you were the higher earner, wouldn't your own benefit be more anyway? All these rules are IMPOSSIBLE to understand!!! This is why so many of us miss out on benefits we deserve.

You should immediately request an appointment with a claims specialist at SSA to review your situation. While it's unlikely they'll provide retroactive benefits for the entire 20 years, they might be able to adjust your current benefit amount if your husband's record would provide a higher benefit. What many people don't realize is that when SSA calculates survivor benefits for a spouse who died before reaching retirement age, they use something called the "Indexed PIA" which estimates what your husband would have received had he lived to retirement age. This calculation includes wage indexing up to the year he would have been 60, plus all COLAs from age 62 forward. Bring these documents to your appointment: 1. Your husband's death certificate 2. Your marriage certificate 3. Your husband's Social Security number 4. Any previous benefit statements for both of you Also, be prepared for a potentially frustrating experience trying to get through to SSA by phone. The hold times can be extremely long.

This is so FRUSTRATING!!! Why doesn't Social Security automatically CHECK which benefit would be better for us? They have ALL our information already! It seems like they purposely make it complicated so we miss out on money we deserve. My friend's sister lost out on thousands because nobody told her about filing options. THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!!

quick question - did u ever remarry? that affects survivor benefits too

Based on the information you've provided, here's what you need to understand about your situation: 1. Since your husband died at 53, SSA would calculate his theoretical benefit amount using a special "indexed PIA" method, which estimates what he would have received at full retirement age. 2. This amount would have received COLAs (Cost of Living Adjustments) every year since he would have been 62. 3. As a widow, you would be entitled to 100% of his benefit amount if claimed at your full retirement age (which would be 66 for someone turning 70 in 2026). 4. You can still potentially switch to survivor benefits now if they would be higher than your current benefit. While SSA typically limits retroactive payments to 6-12 months, they might make exceptions if you can demonstrate that they failed to properly inform you of your options. I'd recommend scheduling an in-person appointment at your local office rather than trying to handle this by phone. Bring all relevant documentation about both your work histories.

this might sound stupid but i thought survivor benefits were only for ppl who never worked? if u were working and getting ssdi on ur own record why would u even qualify for anything from his record?

After reading through this thread, I'd like to add one important point: even if it turns out you can't get retroactive payments, you should still pursue this because if your survivor benefit is higher than your current benefit, you can switch to it now and increase your monthly payment going forward. At age 70, that could mean many years of higher benefits. One strategy to consider: when you contact SSA, first ask for an explanation of what your husband's benefit would have been if he had lived to claiming age, with all applicable COLAs. Get that specific number before discussing any retroactive claim issues. This separates the question of "what should I be receiving now" from the more complicated question of "what should I have received in the past."