Social Security survivor benefit confusion - does delayed filing at 70 actually help widow when spouse filed early?

You've got things mixed up about survivor benefits. When your spouse dies, you CAN get their actual age-70 increased amount if they waited to file, not just their FRA amount. That's one of the main reasons experts suggest the higher earner wait until 70. However, you're right to be concerned about filing early yourself. If you take your own benefits at 62 and then later need to switch to survivor benefits, you WILL face a reduction based on when YOU filed. The reduction doesn't depend on when your husband filed - it depends on when YOU filed relative to YOUR full retirement age. I dealt with this exact situation helping my sister after her husband died. She had filed at 62, and it did permanently reduce her survivor benefit when she switched later. Check out the SSA website page about survivor benefits for the exact percentages.

My MIL's situation was EXACTLY this!!! Basically u cant just switch to get 100% of his higher benefit if you already filed early for ur own. Rule is ur survivor benefit gets reduced by the same % ur own benefit got reduced by filing early. So if u filed at 62 and got 70% of ur FRA benefit, u'd get 70% of his higher benefit as survivor. At least thats what happened with my MIL!!! She was SO UPSET when she found out!!

Let me clear this up with accurate information. This is a common misunderstanding I see frequently: 1. If your spouse waited until 70 to claim and then passes away, you ARE eligible for their higher age-70 amount as a survivor benefit (including all delayed retirement credits). 2. If you claim your OWN retirement benefit early (at 62), and LATER need to claim survivor benefits, your survivor benefit will be reduced - but not by the same percentage as your retirement benefit. 3. The reduction for survivor benefits is different from retirement benefits. Filing for survivors at 60 gets you 71.5% of the deceased's benefit. Each month you wait after 60 increases this percentage until you reach your survivor FRA (which is different from retirement FRA). 4. Here's the key point: If you're already receiving reduced retirement benefits when your spouse dies, you can still get the higher of: your current benefit OR a reduced survivor benefit. Your original strategy could still make sense if your husband's age-70 benefit would be significantly higher than your age-62 benefit. The survivor benefit reduction might still leave you with more than your own reduced benefit.

just wanted to add somethng... my friend tom was in similar spot and was having trouble getting accurate info from social security... he kept getting conflicting info from diff reps on the phone after waiting HOURS!!! he found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got him connected to a real SSA agent in under 10 mins. he shared a video of how it worked: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU saved him from calling back multiple days. might be worth trying if u need to talk directly with SS about your specific numbers.

THIS IS WRONG ADVICE EVERYWHERE!!! My husband died last year and let me tell you the TRUTH about how it works. First, when spouse dies you get EITHER your benefit OR their benefit, WHICHEVER IS HIGHER. You don't get both! Second, if you file early EVER for ANY benefit it PERMANENTLY REDUCES everything! SSA doesn't care what your plan was. Once you file early you're STUCK with reduced amounts FOREVER!

Something no one has mentioned yet - you and your husband are very close in age with similar earnings. In this specific situation, the traditional "higher earner waits" strategy might not be as beneficial as in couples with bigger age or earning differences. With only $100 difference in benefits, either of you waiting to 70 would provide nearly identical survivor protection. The real question becomes what income you need now vs. later and your respective health/longevity expectations. If both of you are in good health with family history of longevity, it might make sense for both of you to delay filing as long as financially possible.

btw my aunt told me that they changed the rules for people born after Jan 2 1954 about switching between different types of benefits. like u cant do that file and suspend strategy anymore. so make sure whatever advice u get is for ppl born in ur years not older folks!!!

I researched this extensively when planning my own retirement. The confusion comes from mixing up two different reductions: 1. The reduction to YOUR own benefit from filing early 2. The reduction to YOUR SURVIVOR BENEFIT based on when you claim it They're calculated differently! If your husband waits until 70 and gets (let's say) $3,500/month, then dies, that full amount becomes the basis for your survivor benefit. But how much of that you get depends on YOUR age when you CLAIM SURVIVOR BENEFITS. If you're already past your survivor FRA when he dies, you get 100% of his $3,500. If you're 60 when he dies, you'd get about 71.5% of his $3,500. The fact that you claimed your own benefit early doesn't directly reduce your survivor benefit. What matters is YOUR AGE when you APPLY for survivor benefits.