Social Security options after adopting baby at 60 with deceased husband's benefit - survivor vs. retirement?

Congratulations on the adoption! You have several options here with some important timing considerations: 1. You CAN claim survivor benefits now at age 61, but they'll be reduced to about 71.5% of your husband's full benefit because you're claiming before your FRA. 2. Your adopted child is eligible for survivor benefits based on your deceased husband's record - up to 75% of his benefit amount. 3. Since your own retirement benefit will be higher, you could take reduced survivor benefits now and then switch to your own benefit at FRA or even delay until 70 for maximum amount. 4. IMPORTANT: The earnings test applies until you reach FRA (if you're under FRA and working). For 2025, you can earn up to $22,320 without reduction, but above that they deduct $1 for every $2 you earn. With your salary of $72K, the earnings test would significantly reduce any survivor benefits you'd receive while working. Might make sense to wait if you plan to continue working at that income level.

wait i'm confused can u even get benefits for a kid who isn't related to him? my cousin tried this and got denied bc the kid wasnt biologically his

I think you're in what's called a "child-in-care" situation which changes things. If you're caring for a child under 16 who receives benefits based on your deceased spouse's record, you might qualify for the "mother's/father's benefit" which doesn't have the same age reduction factors as regular survivor benefits. However, with your current income, the earnings test would likely wipe out most or all of these benefits until you reach your FRA. The child's benefits wouldn't be affected by YOUR earnings though. Your best strategy depends on your long-term plans: 1. If continuing to work at current income: Child applies for survivor benefits now, you wait until closer to FRA or switch to part-time work 2. If reducing work hours now: Both you and child apply for survivor benefits (though yours would be reduced by earnings test) 3. If working to 70: Child gets survivor benefits now, you wait until 70 to maximize your own retirement benefit The family maximum benefit (FMB) might come into play here too, which caps the total amount payable on one worker's record.

GOOD LUCK getting anyone at SSA to explain this correctly!!! I spent SIX MONTHS trying to get this exact situation sorted out when I adopted my grandson after my husband died. Every person I talked to gave me different information about the adoption rules. One said the child qualified, another said they didn't, a third said they needed more "evidence" without saying what evidence!!! THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!!

To answer your follow-up question - yes, your adopted daughter can receive benefits even though you're over the earnings limit. Your earnings only affect YOUR benefits, not hers. And regarding your question about in-person vs. phone: For complex situations like yours, an in-person appointment is usually better. You can bring all your documentation and have everything reviewed at once. Call ahead to schedule an appointment rather than just walking in. One more important point: There's something called the "family maximum benefit" (FMB) that limits the total benefits payable on one worker's record (typically 150-180% of the deceased worker's benefit). Since it would just be you and your daughter claiming on your husband's record, you're unlikely to hit this cap, but it's something to be aware of.

my neighbor got survivor benefits for her adopted kiddo a few years back and she said the kid gets them until age 18 (or 19 if still in high school). if the kid has disabilities though they can continue even longer i think.

To clarify some points that have been raised: 1. Yes, your daughter would receive approximately 75% of your husband's benefit amount, so around $1,575 monthly based on his $2,100 benefit. This continues until she turns 18 (or 19 if still in high school). 2. Your work income does NOT affect her benefits, only yours. 3. You have a unique potential strategy available: You could claim reduced survivor benefits now (though they'd be mostly offset by the earnings test), then switch to your own retirement benefit at FRA or age 70. This is called a "restricted application" and is one of the few remaining claiming strategies after the 2015 law changes. 4. Another option to consider: If you're thinking about reducing work hours to care for your daughter, you could potentially benefit from both the child's survivor benefit AND a reduced survivor benefit for yourself as a parent caring for a young child (sometimes called the "mother's/father's benefit"). Based on your situation (higher earning record, currently working, young child), your optimal strategy is likely to: 1. Apply for child's survivor benefits immediately 2. Either wait until FRA to claim your own retirement benefit OR 3. Claim survivor benefits now if you plan to reduce work hours below the earnings limit threshold Definitely schedule that in-person appointment to go through all options with a claims specialist.

congrats on the adoption!! my friend did something similar and she said getting the social security stuff set up for the kid was actually pretty easy once she got thru to someone. the hard part was just reaching them lol

I want to add one important thing I didn't see mentioned: If you decide to receive survivor benefits now while caring for your daughter (the "mother's/father's benefit"), those benefits will STOP when your daughter turns 16, regardless of your age at that point. You would then need to wait until 60 (which you've already passed) to restart survivor benefits at a reduced rate or wait until FRA for full survivor benefits. Also, if you're planning long-term, consider that: 1. Your daughter will receive survivor benefits until age 18 (or 19 if still in high school) 2. You can switch between survivor and retirement benefits to maximize your lifetime payout 3. Taking your own retirement benefits at 70 would give you the maximum monthly amount (132% of your FRA amount) If you can afford it, working part-time until your FRA while collecting some survivor benefits (below the earnings limit) and your daughter's benefits, then switching to your own maximum benefit at 70, might be your optimal financial strategy.

Thank you all SO MUCH for your incredibly helpful advice. I've learned more here than in all my conversations with friends and family about this situation. Based on your suggestions, I'm going to: 1. Schedule an in-person appointment with SSA (with all documents ready) 2. Apply for my daughter's survivor benefits immediately 3. Strongly consider reducing my work hours to get under the earnings limit so I can also claim some survivor benefits while caring for her 4. Plan to switch to my own retirement benefit at FRA or 70 I feel like I finally have a roadmap now! If anyone has additional thoughts or suggestions, I'd love to hear them. And I'll try to come back and update on how things go with SSA. Thanks again for all your help!