Social Security survivor benefits at 65 - will they be reduced before FRA or not?

The person you spoke with is incorrect. Survivor benefits ARE reduced if you claim them before your Full Retirement Age. The reduction is about 0.396% for each month before your FRA, up to a maximum reduction of 28.5%. However, there's an exception - if your husband was receiving reduced benefits when he died, your survivor benefit might be limited by the "RIB-LIM" rule (Retirement Insurance Benefit Limitation). This can get complicated fast.

IM in the same boat!!! My husband passed 2 years ago and I've been tryin to figure this out too. SSA told me something about the maximun family benefit but it was so confusing. I think its all reduced if you take it early but then again nothing with SS makes sense half the time!! Let me know what you find out please?

Let me clarify exactly how survivor benefits work in your situation: 1. If you claim survivor benefits before your FRA, they WILL be reduced (contrary to what you were told) 2. However, if your husband started collecting reduced benefits before he reached his FRA, there's something called the RIB-LIM rule that comes into play. This means your survivor benefit would be limited to the higher of: - The benefit your husband was receiving when he died - 82.5% of your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) 3. If your husband had reached his FRA when he started collecting, then your survivor benefit at your FRA would be 100% of what he was receiving. One strategy to consider: If your own retirement benefit will never be higher than your survivor benefit, you could claim your own reduced retirement benefit now at 65, then switch to the full survivor benefit when you reach your FRA (which would give you some income now while maximizing the survivor benefit later).

This is getting even more confusing. So if my husband was receiving reduced benefits when he died, that actually affects my survivor benefits too? I need to find out exactly when he started collecting. Is there a way I can check this with the SSA without spending hours on hold?

my sister just went thru this last year. they gave her the wrong info THREE TIMES!!! make sure u get it in writing whatever they tell u.

To add one more important detail - since you're turning 65, make sure you're also applying for Medicare. That's separate from your Social Security benefits decision, and you want to enroll during your Initial Enrollment Period to avoid late penalties, even if you delay claiming Social Security.

I think everybodys giving you wrong info. My friend is a retied SSA worker and she told me survivor benefits are NOT reduced if your spouse was fully insured regardless of YOUR age. That's different from retirement benefits. Something about the law changing in 2022 or 2023.

Based on what you've shared, here's what I recommend: 1. First, verify your husband's claiming history by contacting SSA (whether through regular channels or using a service to help you get through) 2. Ask specifically about: - When your husband began collecting benefits - What his PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) was - How the RIB-LIM rule affects your specific situation 3. Request a benefit calculation for these scenarios: - Taking your survivor benefits now (reduced amount) - Taking your own retirement benefit now, then switching to survivor benefits at your FRA Once you have these specific numbers, you can make an informed decision. The difference could potentially be thousands of dollars over your lifetime, so it's worth doing this research.