Social Security retirement benefits at 70 while collecting survivor benefits - how to get estimates?

You can check your benefit estimate by creating a my Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount. Once logged in, you'll see your estimated retirement benefits at different ages, including age 70. The estimate is based on your earnings record and assumes you'll continue to earn at your current level until that age. If you're already receiving survivor benefits, you should definitely compare the two amounts - only switch if your own benefit will be higher!

i had same situation when my wife died. you HAVE TO apply for ur own benefits even at 70, they dont just switch u over automatically. make sure u do it like 3 months b4 ur birthday

The my Social Security account estimates can sometimes be off if you've had any years of zero or very low earnings. When I checked mine it was showing a much lower amount than what I'm actually entitled to because I had some years working overseas that weren't counted. Might be worth double-checking with a real person.

If you want to be absolutely certain about your benefit amount, I'd recommend reaching out to SSA directly. The online estimates are generally accurate, but they don't always account for special situations or all your earnings history. For the survivor-to-retirement benefit switch, it's especially important to have accurate numbers to compare. I know you mentioned having trouble getting through on the phone. I had the same issue when trying to verify my earnings record. After multiple disconnections, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real SSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours. You might want to check it out at claimyr.com - they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. It made a huge difference in getting accurate information about my benefits.

DONT FORGET that when you switch from survivor to your own benefit you'll lose the survivor benefit completely. Social Security doesn't let you combine them or anything. Just want to make sure you understand that since so many people get confused about this!!

u might want to check if there any widows benefits you could still get on top of ur retirement. my neighbor gets both i think

When I was planning my switch from survivor to retirement benefits, I found it helpful to download the Social Security Statement from my online account, which shows my complete earnings history. I noticed some missing earnings from a part-time job in the early 2000s and was able to get that corrected before filing for my retirement benefit. It added about $75/month to my payment! Definitely worth reviewing your complete earnings record before making the switch.

Just wanted to add that you might also want to consider the timing of when you apply within your birth month. If you're born early in the month, you can actually start receiving benefits the month you turn 70. But if you're born later in the month, you might want to apply the month before to avoid any delays in processing. Also, make sure to keep receiving your survivor benefits right up until your retirement benefits kick in - don't stop the survivor payments early thinking you need to "make room" for the new benefit. SSA will handle the transition automatically once your retirement benefit application is approved.

One more thing to keep in mind - when you apply for your retirement benefits at 70, you'll want to specify that you want to switch from survivor benefits to retirement benefits. Sometimes people accidentally apply for both or don't make it clear they want to switch, which can cause processing delays. I'd recommend being very explicit about this when you submit your application. Also, if you're still working when you turn 70, make sure SSA has your most recent earnings information, as this could potentially increase your benefit amount even further. The earnings from your 69th year might not be fully reflected in the online estimate yet.