Social Security spousal vs. survivor benefits - Should I file at 67 or wait until my FRA at 67+4 months?
Finally reached 67 last month and trying to decide if I should file for Social Security now or wait until my Full Retirement Age (FRA) of 67 and 4 months. My situation: I worked part-time most of my life while raising our kids (earning enough credits but not huge wages), while my husband (now 79) has been collecting his maximum benefit since he turned 70. He's had some health issues lately, and our retirement planner suggested I might want to take my benefit now instead of waiting. Apparently, the math works like this: If I file now, I'd get about $1,850/month (roughly $125 less than my full amount). But if my husband passes away, I'd switch to his survivor benefit of $3,200/month anyway. The planner calculated it would take almost 17 years of collecting that extra $125/month to make up for the 4 months of benefits I'd miss by waiting until FRA. I'm really anxious about this decision - it feels so permanent! Is there something I'm missing here? Are there any downsides to filing before FRA in my situation? I'm working very minimally now (about 5 hours weekly at the library), well under the earnings limit. Would really appreciate insights from folks who've been in similar situations!
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Dylan Mitchell
Your financial advisor is giving you sound advice. In your situation, filing at 67 instead of waiting those extra 4 months makes mathematical sense. Since your survivor benefit would replace your retirement benefit when your husband passes, you're essentially giving up 4 months of payments ($7,400 total) to gain only $125/month. That break-even point of 17 years is far longer than most planning horizons. One thing to double-check: make sure you're not confusing spousal benefits with survivor benefits. As a spouse, you'd get the greater of your own benefit or half of your husband's. But as a survivor, you'd get the greater of your own or 100% of what he was receiving. Based on your numbers, your own benefit is already higher than any spousal benefit you might qualify for. If you're well under the earnings limit, there's no penalty for working while collecting. I'd recommend filing now - those 4 months of payments in hand are valuable!
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
•Thank you so much for this explanation! Yes, I understand the difference between spousal and survivor benefits - what confused me is that I kept thinking waiting is always better. It's a relief to hear that someone else sees the logic in taking it slightly early in my specific case. I'll start the application this week. Do you know if there's any way to backdate it since I've already been 67 for a month?
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Sofia Martinez
my mom was in almost this EXACT situation!! she took hers at 66 even tho her FRA was 66 and 6 mos and has NO regrets. dad died 3 yrs later and she got his higher benefit anyway. dont overthink it!!
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Dmitry Volkov
•This is what I did too. The peace of mind from getting the checks now was worth more to me than waiting. Money in hand today is better than slightly more tomorrow sometimes.
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Ava Thompson
SSA won't tell you this, but there's actually a secret loophole where if you file within 3 months of your birthday, you can get both your benefit AND a portion of your spouse's! I read about it on a retirement blog. The government doesn't want you to know this but it's your money!!! Ask specifically for form SS-44 when you go in.
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CyberSiren
•I'm afraid this information is incorrect. There is no such thing as Form SS-44 in this context, and there is no loophole allowing you to simultaneously receive your full retirement benefit plus a portion of your spouse's while they are still living. The rules are straightforward: you get either 100% of your own benefit OR up to 50% of your spouse's benefit (reduced if taken before your FRA), whichever is higher. You can't combine them or get both. After your spouse passes away, survivor benefits allow you to receive up to 100% of what your deceased spouse was receiving if that amount is higher than your own benefit. Please be cautious about following advice from unofficial blogs when it comes to Social Security. The official SSA website or speaking directly with an SSA representative is always the safest approach.
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Miguel Alvarez
I spent HOURS trying to reach someone at Social Security to ask almost this exact question last month. Called for 3 days straight and either got disconnected or was told the wait time was over 2 hours! Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in about 25 minutes. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent confirmed what your advisor told you - in your situation with the survivor benefit being so much higher, taking your own benefit a few months before FRA makes sense. She also mentioned I could submit the application online without having to wait on hold again. Saved me so much frustration!
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
•Oh wow, thanks for sharing that service! I tried calling last week and gave up after being on hold for 45 minutes. I'll check out that website because I definitely have a few questions I'd like to ask before filing. Did you find the agent knowledgeable about the survivor benefit rules?
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Miguel Alvarez
•Yes, very knowledgeable. I made sure to write down specific questions beforehand, which helped a lot. The agent explained the whole survivor benefit calculation and even checked my husband's record to verify the numbers. Definitely worth getting through to a real person for this kind of decision!
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Zainab Yusuf
WHY does everyone assume their husband will die first?? My grandmother outlived my grandfather by only 2 months! Then all that careful planning went out the window. SSA is hoping you die before collecting much anyway!!!
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Dmitry Volkov
•It's just statistics - women live longer on average plus her husband is 12 years older and already having health issues. But you're right that nothing is guaranteed.
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
•I know it's just a statistical likelihood, not a guarantee. In our case, considering my husband is 12 years older than me and has already had a heart attack and diabetes complications, our medical providers have been pretty frank about his prognosis. We're just trying to plan responsibly based on the most likely scenario while hoping for the best.
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Dmitry Volkov
did u check if ur stil eligible for spousal benefits? my wife got half of mine even tho she worked bcuz my benefit was alot higher
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CyberSiren
•This is an important point. You're eligible for spousal benefits (up to 50% of your husband's PIA) if that amount exceeds your own retirement benefit. Given that your own benefit is $1,850 and your husband's is $3,200, his PIA (the amount at his full retirement age before any delayed retirement credits) was likely around $2,400-2,500. Half of that would be $1,200-1,250, which is less than your own $1,850 benefit. This confirms that taking your own retirement benefit makes sense in your case, as it's higher than any spousal benefit you'd qualify for. The survivor benefit will come into play later, but that's a separate consideration.
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Sofia Martinez
i think ur overthinking this. take the money now! inflation is eating away at our savings anyway lol
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Dylan Mitchell
One additional consideration: if you're in reasonably good health and your husband's condition deteriorates to where you might need paid help for his care, having your Social Security income now could be beneficial. When making financial decisions, it's not just about the math but also practical needs. Regarding backdating: Social Security allows you to backdate a retirement application up to 6 months (but not before you're eligible). Since you're 67 and eligible, you could potentially get a month of retroactive benefits. Just specifically request this when filing - they won't automatically offer it.
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
•This is an excellent point about potential caregiving needs. His doctor recently suggested we should start planning for additional help in the next year or two. Having that extra income now rather than waiting makes even more sense with that in mind. And thank you for the backdating information! I'll definitely request that when I apply.
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Dmitry Volkov
my friend waited till 70 to maximize her benefit and then died at 71...all that waiting for nothing!
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Zainab Yusuf
•EXACTLY!!! The government is playing a game with our money hoping we die before collecting! When my uncle waited to file, his first check arrived THE DAY AFTER HE DIED. Not kidding!!
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CyberSiren
Based on your situation, filing now appears to be a sound decision. The calculation your financial advisor provided is accurate - the breakeven period of 17 years for those 4 months of delay is quite long, especially considering the survivor benefit would replace your retirement benefit when your husband passes. One clarification regarding work: at your age (past FRA), there is no earnings limit at all. You could work full-time earning any amount with no reduction in benefits. The earnings limit only applies before FRA. For a complete analysis, you might also want to consider: 1. Tax implications - additional income could potentially push you into a higher tax bracket 2. Medicare premiums - higher income can affect IRMAA surcharges with a 2-year lag But in most cases, these factors wouldn't outweigh the benefit of claiming now rather than waiting those additional 4 months.
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
•Thank you for that clarification about the earnings limit! I was aware there was no limit after FRA but since I'm technically 3 months before my FRA, I thought the limit still applied. That's good to know. Great point about the tax implications too. We're managing our withdrawals from retirement accounts to stay in a lower tax bracket, so I'll need to factor this income in. Looks like I have some calculations to do, but I'm definitely leaning toward filing now.
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