Social Security survivor benefits - Would I get 100% of my spouse's SS at 65 if they die?

As a survivor, you'd get a reduced benefit at age 65. Since you're 2 years before your FRA of 67, you'd receive approximately: - About 87.5% of your deceased husband's benefit (not 100%) - The reduction is roughly 0.396% per month before your FRA Remember though, you'd receive either your own benefit or the survivor benefit, whichever is HIGHER. Also important - the benefit is based on what your husband would have received at HIS full retirement age, not his reduced age-62 benefit. So if your husband took benefits at 62, he was receiving about 75% of his full amount. As his widow, your baseline would be what he would have received at his FRA (100%), then reduced because you're claiming at 65.

This is actually a pretty complicated question because there are a few moving parts. The basic survivor benefit at YOUR full retirement age would be 100% of your deceased spouse's benefit. But since you're not at FRA yet, you'd get a reduced amount - somewhere around 91% I think? BUT - and this is important - if your husband claimed early at 62, the base amount for the survivor benefit might not just be what he was receiving. It gets complicated with something called the "RIB-LIM" rule that the SSA uses. I'd strongly suggest calling the SSA directly to get the exact calculation for your situation before making any decisions. The calculations can get really complicated.

I've been through this exact situation. Here's how it works: 1. If you claim survivor benefits before your FRA (67), they are reduced. At 65, it would be about 91.9% of the full survivor benefit. 2. The full survivor benefit is based on what's called the "higher of" formula: - Either what your husband was actually receiving when he died - OR what he would have received if he had waited until his FRA to claim 3. There's something called the RIB-LIM rule that might apply (Retirement Insurance Benefit Limitation). This can limit your survivor benefit if your husband claimed early. The best strategy might be to claim the reduced survivor benefit now at 65, then switch to your own retirement benefit at 70 if it would be higher by then. This lets your own benefit grow with delayed retirement credits. Hope this helps!

your thinking about this all worng. first u need to know what your OWN benefit woud be cuz if its higher than his then this doesnt even matter. but yea if yours is lower then his you would get a reduced amount since ur under FRA. not 100% for sure. think its like 85% or something like that if ur 65. SSA has a chart somewhere on there website

I struggled with this EXACT question last year after my husband passed. The SSA people gave me different answers every time I called! So frustrating! I eventually reached someone knowledgeable who explained that when I claim survivor benefits before my FRA, it's reduced by a percentage for each month early. But the important thing is that the base amount is usually what your spouse would have received at THEIR full retirement age, not what they were actually getting. I tried for weeks to get through to someone at Social Security who could explain all this clearly. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent without the endless waiting. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me hours of frustration and I finally got answers specific to my situation.

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I'm understanding this better now. So to summarize what I'm hearing: 1. I'd get a reduced percentage (around 91%) of my husband's FRA benefit amount, not just what he's currently receiving 2. This special RIB-LIM rule might affect the calculation 3. I could potentially take survivor benefits now and switch to my own later I think I need to find out what my own benefit would be at various ages to make the best decision. But at least now I understand that I wouldn't just get 100% of his current check if he passes away while I'm 65. I'm going to try to make an appointment at my local SSA office to get more specific numbers for my situation.

One additional point to consider - with survivor benefits, you have flexibility that you don't have with regular retirement benefits. You can actually claim survivor benefits as early as age 60 (reduced, of course), while delaying your own retirement benefit to age 70 to maximize it. This is one of the few remaining "claim now, claim more later" strategies still available after the 2015 law changes. You might want to compare: 1. Taking reduced survivor benefit now, switching to your own at 70 2. Taking your own reduced retirement benefit now, switching to survivor later The optimal choice depends on your own earnings record compared to your husband's. SSA can run these calculations for you.

I'm in the EXACT same boat except I'm 63 and hubby is 69 who took SS at 62. I talked to a financial advisor who said DO NOT claim any SS untl you speak to SSA directly because the rules are SO complicated for survivor benefits. Apparently there are several different calculation methods they use and which one applies depends on your specific situation, birth year, etc. And YES survivor benfits are often higher than what the spouse was actually getting if they claimed early! Crazy system!

As someone who just went through this process with my mom after my dad passed, I wanted to add one important detail that might help. The SSA office visits can be really helpful, but make sure to bring ALL your documents - your husband's Social Security statement, your own earnings record, marriage certificate, etc. Also, ask them to show you the actual calculations on paper. When my mom went in, the first representative just gave her a rough estimate, but the second one actually walked through the math step by step. It made a huge difference in understanding her options. One thing that surprised us was that even though my dad had claimed early at 62, my mom's survivor benefit at her FRA was actually about 15% MORE than what he had been receiving monthly. The system is definitely confusing, but getting those specific numbers for your situation will help you make the best decision for your financial future.

I'm going through something similar right now - my husband is 66 and took his benefits at 62, and I'm 64. What I learned from my research is that the survivor benefit calculation depends on several factors, but the key thing is that it's NOT just a simple percentage of what your spouse is currently receiving. The survivor benefit is calculated using what's called the Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) - basically what your husband would have received if he had waited until his full retirement age. Since he claimed at 62, he's getting about 75% of his PIA, but your survivor benefit would be based on 100% of that PIA amount. At age 65, you'd get roughly 91.9% of that full survivor benefit because you're claiming 2 years before your FRA. But here's where it gets tricky - there's something called the RIB-LIM rule that can sometimes limit the benefit if your spouse claimed early. My advice? Get your own Social Security statement online first so you know what YOUR benefit would be at different ages. Then you can compare whether the survivor benefit or your own benefit would be higher. You might even be able to claim one now and switch to the other later if it makes financial sense. The SSA website has a benefit calculator that can give you estimates, but definitely follow up with an in-person appointment to get the exact numbers for your specific situation.

I'm also planning ahead for similar scenarios and this thread has been incredibly helpful! One thing I wanted to add from my own research - you might also want to consider the timing of when you actually apply for survivor benefits if the worst happens. From what I've learned, there's no requirement to apply immediately after a spouse passes away. You could potentially wait until you're closer to your FRA (or even at your FRA) to get a higher percentage, as long as you can manage financially in the meantime. The benefit isn't automatically reduced just because your spouse claimed early - it's reduced based on when YOU claim it as a survivor. Also, I've read that survivor benefits can be retroactive for up to 6 months, so you wouldn't necessarily lose money by waiting a bit if you're on the borderline of a higher benefit tier. Has anyone else looked into the timing strategy for when to actually file for survivor benefits? I'm curious if there are other factors to consider beyond just the percentage calculations.

This thread has been incredibly educational! I'm in a similar situation (62, husband is 65 and took SS early) and had no idea about most of these rules. A few additional things I've discovered through my own research: 1. There's actually a "deemed filing" rule that might apply if you're eligible for both your own retirement benefit and survivor benefits - sometimes SSA automatically files you for both and you get the higher amount. 2. If you're still working and earning significant income, there might be earnings test implications for survivor benefits before your FRA, just like with regular retirement benefits. 3. Some people don't realize that survivor benefits aren't subject to the same "file and suspend" restrictions that were eliminated in 2015 - you still have more flexibility with survivor vs. retirement benefit timing. I'm planning to use the SSA's online retirement calculator first to get rough estimates, then schedule an appointment armed with specific questions. This thread has given me a much better understanding of what questions to ask! One last tip I heard: if you do visit SSA in person, try to go early in the morning or late in the day - apparently the wait times are usually shorter then.

I'm also in my 60s and have been trying to wrap my head around all these survivor benefit rules! Reading through everyone's responses, it's clear that this is way more complex than I initially thought. A few things I wanted to add based on my own experience dealing with SSA: 1. When you do visit the local office, consider bringing a trusted family member or friend with you. I found it helpful to have someone else listening and taking notes - there's a lot of information to absorb and it's easy to forget details. 2. Don't be discouraged if you get different answers from different representatives. I had to visit twice because the first person wasn't familiar with the RIB-LIM calculations that several people mentioned here. Ask specifically for someone who handles survivor benefits regularly. 3. I learned that you can actually request a written estimate of your survivor benefits while your spouse is still living. This can help with planning and gives you concrete numbers to work with rather than just rough percentages. The point about potentially receiving MORE as a survivor than what your husband currently receives really surprised me too. It makes sense when you understand the PIA concept, but it's definitely counterintuitive at first! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this has been incredibly helpful for my own planning.