Social Security survivor benefits at 61 vs 62 - retroactive payments and reduction amounts

You won't get retroactive payments back to your husband's death in either scenario. Survivor benefits only start from the month you apply (with payment coming the following month). As for the reduction, it depends on your Full Retirement Age (FRA). If you were born in 1961, your FRA is 66 and 10 months. Filing at exactly 62 would give you approximately 81.1% of your husband's benefit. Filing at 61 and 11 months would be slightly less, maybe around 80.7%. Whether your husband filed early doesn't matter for survivor benefits - you'll receive what he was getting at death or what he would have been entitled to if higher (including any delayed retirement credits if he waited past his FRA). At 83, he was definitely past his FRA when he died, so you'll get his full benefit amount (possibly with delayed retirement credits) subject to the early filing reduction based on YOUR age.

Thank you for the explanation. So there's no benefit to waiting those few days until I'm 62? I was thinking I'd get more if I waited until my birthday. Also, if survivor benefits only start from when I apply, does that mean my first payment would come in November or December?

my late husband didnt file for his ss until 70 because he wanted the higher amount. I applied for survivors at 60 (was allowed because im disabled) and im getting 71.5% of what he would have gotten. its all based on YOUR age when you apply not his filing age. they told me waiting til 62 would only get me about $75 more a month than at 60 so i just went ahead and took it.

Are you working??? If you are and you're under FRA, you need to be careful about the earnings limit! In 2025 if you make over $22,560 they start taking back $1 for every $2 you earn above that!!! This tripped me up BIG TIME when I started survivor benefits at 62!!!!!

To clarify a few points: 1. Survivor benefits can sometimes be paid up to 6 months retroactively, but only for months where you were already at least 60. It doesn't go back to the death date unless you were already eligible when he passed. 2. The difference between applying at 61 years 11 months versus 62 years 0 months is approximately 0.4% of the benefit amount. On a $2,000 benefit, that's about $8 per month difference. 3. For your third question, you're partially right, but it's more complicated. Your reduction percentage is based solely on YOUR age when you claim, not whether your husband claimed early. Since he was 83, he likely received delayed retirement credits if he waited past his FRA, which would increase your survivor benefit base amount before the reduction for your early filing is applied. Basically, you get the higher of: - What your husband was receiving at death - What your husband would have been entitled to if he hadn't filed yet Then that amount is reduced based on how early you file before your own FRA.

I spent THREE WEEKS trying to reach someone at SSA to ask almost these exact same questions last year after my husband passed. Kept getting busy signals or disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. Finally I found Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a rep within 20 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU showing how it works. Saved me so much frustration! I was able to get all my survivor benefit questions answered and schedule my application appointment right away.

My condolences on losing your husband. When my wife passed, I was so confused about all this survivor benefit stuff too. Everyone's situation is a bit different but I found that the SSA reps are actually pretty helpful once you can get through to them. Good luck with your appointment!

make sure you have all your docs ready for your call... birth certificate, marriage certificate, his death certificate, your ssn card, his ssn, your bank info for direct deposit. they always need more paperwork than you think!!

One other important point: If you have your own retirement benefit that would eventually be higher than your survivor benefit, it often makes sense to take the survivor benefit early (reduced) and then switch to your own retirement benefit at age 70 when it's maximized. This is one of the few remaining claiming strategies that can significantly increase lifetime benefits. During your call, make sure to ask about your future options for switching between benefits if that applies to your situation.

I wish I'd known about all this when my husband passed. I just took the survivors right away at 60 and now realize I probably should have waited. No one at SS explained any options to me :

I'm so sorry for your loss, Anastasia. Going through all these decisions while grieving is incredibly difficult. Based on what others have shared here, it sounds like keeping your October 31st appointment makes sense since the difference between filing at 61 years 11 months versus 62 is minimal (around 0.4% or about $8/month on a $2000 benefit). A few things to keep in mind for your appointment: - Ask specifically about any retroactive payments back to when you turned 60 - Confirm your exact reduction percentage based on your birth year and FRA - Ask about your future options to switch to your own retirement benefit if it would be higher - Make sure you understand how your husband's delayed retirement credits (if any) will affect your benefit amount The SSA rep should be able to give you exact numbers for your specific situation. Take notes during the call - there's a lot of information to process. You've got this!