Social Security survivor benefits - Should I wait until FRA or can I return husband's disability payment?

I'm very sorry for your loss. Let me try to help with your survivor benefits questions. First, the increase from taking survivor benefits at 62 versus waiting until your FRA at 67 is significant - approximately 28.5%. At 62, you'd receive about 71.5% of your husband's benefit amount. At your FRA, you'd receive 100%. Regarding the disability payment - you actually can't and don't need to "return" it. Your husband was entitled to that payment, and it doesn't affect your survivor benefits. The withdrawal rule applies to retirement applications, not to disability benefits or survivor claims. What you might want to consider is a strategy where you take your own reduced retirement benefit now and switch to the higher survivor benefit at your FRA. Or vice versa if your own benefit will eventually be higher.

OMG I went through almost the EXACT same situation when my husband died after getting disability!!! The SSA people told me THREE different things on three different calls!! It was SO frustrating trying to figure out what to do. I ended up keeping his disability payment (it was in our joint account anyway) and then applied for survivor benefits. I was 60 when he passed so I got a reduced amount. I wish I could've waited longer but I needed the money. Just warning you that the wait times to talk to SSA right now are HORRIBLE. I spent like 6 hours on hold total just trying to get answers. Good luck!!

After dealing with similar SSA phone frustrations when my mom passed, I found a service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual SSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours or getting disconnected. It basically holds your place in line. Saved me so much stress when dealing with my mom's survivor benefits issues! They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU that shows how it works. Made the whole process way less painful during an already difficult time.

To directly answer your questions: 1. The benefit increase from waiting until 67 (your FRA) would be approximately 28.5% more than claiming at 62. At 62, you receive 71.5% of your husband's benefit amount, while at FRA you receive 100%. 2. You cannot return your husband's disability payment, nor do you need to. That payment was correctly issued to him and has no impact on your survivor benefits. 3. The 12-month withdrawal option doesn't apply in this situation. That rule is for retirement benefit applications, not disability or survivor benefits. One strategy to consider: If your own retirement benefit at 70 would be higher than your survivor benefit at FRA, you could take the reduced survivor benefit now and switch to your own benefit later. Conversely, you could take your reduced retirement benefit now and switch to the full survivor benefit at your FRA. I recommend scheduling an appointment with SSA to review these options, as they can calculate the exact amounts for different claiming ages based on both your earnings records.

Just want to say my condolences for your loss. When my wife passed I was so confused about all the SS rules too. Take your time making this decision, there's no rush even though SSA might make you feel that way.

the social security rules r so complicated!! when my dad died my mom just took the benefits right away at 60 cuz we needed the money. nobody told her about waiting for more $$ later. the whole system is designed to confuse people if u ask me

One thing no one mentioned yet - there's a one-time death benefit of $255 from Social Security you can claim!! It's not much but it's something. You have to call them to get it, they don't automatically send it.

my aunt was in kinda the same boat last year and she said waiting till FRA was worth it for her. the monthly difference was like $700 more! but she had savings to live on while waiting. if u need $ now there's no shame in taking benefits early

Since you mentioned you're working part-time, be aware of the earnings test if you claim survivor benefits before your FRA. In 2025, if you earn more than $22,320, SSA will withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above that limit. This could significantly reduce or eliminate your survivor benefits temporarily if your income is high enough. The earnings test no longer applies once you reach your FRA. This is another factor to consider in your claiming strategy.

Based on your work income of $25,000, here's how the earnings test would affect you: $25,000 - $22,320 = $2,680 above the limit $2,680 ÷ 2 = $1,340 in benefits would be withheld annually If your monthly survivor benefit at 62 would be, for example, $1,500 ($18,000 annually), you'd still receive $16,660 in benefits for the year, or about $1,388 monthly after the reduction. The money that's withheld isn't lost forever - once you reach FRA, your benefit will be recalculated to credit you for the months benefits were reduced or withheld. Given your specific situation, I'd recommend getting a detailed benefit calculation from SSA for these scenarios: 1. Taking survivor benefits now while working 2. Waiting until you stop working to take survivor benefits 3. Waiting until your FRA to maximize the survivor benefit This will help you make an informed decision based on your exact benefit amounts.

Just to add an important point - when you go in for your appointment, ask them to calculate what's called your "RIB-LIM" amount. This is a special calculation that applies in cases where your spouse was on disability benefits. In some situations, it can affect the amount of survivor benefits you're eligible for. Many SSA reps don't automatically check this, so you want to specifically ask for this calculation.

Thank you all for the helpful advice! I've scheduled an appointment with SSA for next week, and I've made a list of all the questions to ask based on your suggestions - especially about the earnings test and that RIB-LIM calculation. For now, I'm leaning toward taking reduced survivor benefits even with the earnings test reduction, since I could still receive around $1,388 monthly according to the calculations provided. That would help me a lot financially while I'm still working part-time. I'll update after my appointment in case the information helps someone else in a similar situation.