Social Security survivor benefit recalculation at FRA - automatic or do I need to request it?

Yes, SSA should automatically recalculate your survivor benefits after you reach FRA to give you credit for those months when benefits were withheld due to the earnings test. This is called an Adjustment to Reduction Factor (ARF). However, it can take 2-3 months after your FRA month for their systems to process this. If it's been more than 3 months since your FRA month (April), I would definitely contact them. The recalculation should result in a slightly higher monthly benefit to make up for those months that were completely withheld.

they dont always do it right away i waited almost a year for mine!!! and then they gave me backpay for the diffrence. keep all ur paperwork so u can prove which months they took away

The SSA is TERRIBLE about doing these recalculations automatically. I had to call them THREE times before they finally adjusted my wife's benefits after her FRA. They kept telling me "it's in process" but nothing happened until I threatened to contact my congressman. Don't wait for them to do it - be proactive! And when you call, make sure you specifically mention "ARF adjustment" (Adjustment to Reduction Factor) so they know exactly what you're asking about.

I had something like this happen but with retirement benefits not survivors. Got mine fixed after going in person to the SSA office. Phones never work!!

Have you tried using Claimyr to get through to SSA? I was in a similar situation with my survivor benefits recalculation and couldn't get through on the phone for weeks. A friend told me about claimyr.com and I tried their service - they got me connected to a real SSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I finally got through, the agent was able to initiate the recalculation process. Got my adjustment about 3 weeks later with back pay. Definitely worth pursuing because even a small percentage increase adds up over time!

my sister had this exact problem!!! the increase was something like $47 per month for her after they adjusted. not huge but adds up over time i guess. they also gave her backpay for the months since her FRA when she should have been getting the higher amount. good luck!!

Be aware that if your earnings are still high, you might be subject to IRMAA surcharges on your Medicare premiums which could offset some of your benefit increase. Just mentioning this because it caught me by surprise. The whole system is designed to confuse us!

To follow up on your question about how much the increase might be - it varies based on how many months were withheld and over what period. The formula is a bit complex, but for someone who had 8 months withheld between age 60 and FRA (approximately 72 months total), you might see an increase of around 1.5-2% of your current benefit. So if your current survivor benefit is $2,000, you might see an increase of $30-40 per month. Not huge, but as others mentioned, it adds up over time, and you should also receive back payments from your FRA month to present.

I went through this exact situation about 3 years ago! The SSA is supposed to automatically do the ARF adjustment, but in my experience, they often don't unless you push them. I had to call multiple times over several months before they finally processed mine. When you do get through to them, make sure to ask for a written confirmation of when the adjustment will be processed. They gave me a reference number and told me it would take 4-6 weeks, which turned out to be accurate. The back pay was nice - I got about 8 months worth of the difference in one lump sum. One tip: if you have trouble getting through on the phone, try calling right when they open at 8 AM EST. I had better luck early in the morning than later in the day.