Social Security survivor benefits at 66 - take reduced amount now or wait 10 months for FRA?

Yes, if you take survivor benefits before your FRA, they will be permanently reduced. The reduction is approximately 4.75% per year early, so taking them 10 months early would be a permanent reduction of about 3.96%. Your numbers sound about right - the early amount would be around 87% of your full survivor benefit. Whether it's worth waiting depends on your current financial situation and your health/life expectancy. The break-even point would be around 12-13 years, meaning if you live longer than that, you'd be better off financially by waiting those 10 months.

my wife got survivr benefits at 65 and they told her it was reduced permanetly. dont think waiting matters for most people. you never know how long youll be around to collect anyway!!

I was in a similar position last year and decided to wait until my FRA to claim survivor benefits. Those 8 months were difficult financially, but I'm glad I did because now I receive the full amount every month. One thing to consider - have you checked if your work income would cause any benefit reduction under the earnings test if you claim before FRA? That could be another factor.

If you're still working, you need to consider the earnings limit! For 2025, if you're under FRA, you lose $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above $21,840. After you reach FRA, there's no earnings limit. So with your part-time earnings around $22,000, you'd be just over the threshold and might lose a small amount of benefits if you claim before FRA. This is another reason why waiting until FRA might be advantageous in your case.

Have you been trying to reach someone at Social Security before your appointment? I spent 3 weeks trying to get through on their 800 number before giving up. Eventually used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to them. They have a video demo here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me hours of frustration when I needed to discuss my survivor benefits options. Just thought I'd mention it since their phone lines are always jammed.

I see so much confusing advice here. Let me clarify: Survivor benefits taken before your Full Retirement Age ARE permanently reduced. Your Full Retirement Age for survivor benefits might be different than for retirement benefits, depending on your birth year. Here's the basic math - you lose 0.396% per month if claiming before FRA. So for 10 months early, that's 3.96% permanent reduction. With your numbers, that sounds right - $2,480 vs $2,160. Just be aware that a reduced survivor benefit now means PERMANENTLY reduced. The decision is personal based on your finances and health.

One thing nobody has mentioned is that if you're eligible for your own retirement benefits, you could take the reduced survivors benefit now and then switch to your own retirement benefit at 70 if it would be higher. That strategy can sometimes maximize lifetime benefits, especially if your own work record is strong. Have you looked into that option?

Since you mentioned you're working part-time and earning about $22,000, here's another consideration: Once you reach your FRA in 10 months, not only will you get the full survivor benefit amount, but the earnings test will no longer apply. So you'd be able to earn unlimited income without any reduction in your SS benefits. Sometimes looking at the total picture (full benefit amount + no earnings test + no permanent reduction) makes the wait more worthwhile, especially if you're not in dire financial need right now.

my sister in law waited 2 extra years for higher benefits and then passed away suddenly. don't mean to be negative but nobody knows how long theyll live! sometimes bird in hand worth two in bush as they say

Sofia, I went through this exact decision two years ago when I was 65 and 8 months. Like you, I was torn between taking the reduced survivor benefit immediately versus waiting for my FRA. After reading all the great advice here, I'd add one more consideration: have you thought about doing a "what if" calculation for different scenarios? Here's what helped me decide - I calculated the total amount I'd receive over different time periods. If you take $2,160 now for 10 months, that's $21,600. Then you'd get $2,480 ongoing. Compare that to waiting and getting $2,480 from the start. The crossover point is around 5.5 years, meaning if you expect to live longer than that from when you start benefits, waiting pays off financially. Given that you're in good health with family longevity, plus the earnings test issue others mentioned with your $22K job, waiting those 10 months seems like the right call. You've already waited 3 years - what's 10 more months for a permanently higher benefit and no earnings restrictions?