Social Security survivor benefits at 94% when claiming at 63 - How is this possible?

You're right to be confused because survivor benefits can be complicated. Your sister-in-law is getting 94% because the reduction percentage differs between retirement and survivor benefits. For survivor benefits, the reduction is gentler - about 0.396% per month if claiming between 60-FRA. At 63 and 2 months, she's 46 months before FRA, so: 46 × 0.396% = 18.2% reduction. That means she gets about 81.8% of his benefit, not 94%. She's either misunderstanding what she's getting or there might be other factors at play. Has she checked her award letter from SSA or her MySocialSecurity account? That would show the actual calculation.

maybe shes getting a combo of her own benefit + partial survivors? my mom got something like that when dad died

When my husband passed in 2023, I had already been collecting my own SS for years (started at 62). I was 64 when he died. The SSA rep explained that since I was already collecting my own benefits, they would just add the difference between my benefit and what I qualified for as a survivor. In my case, that meant my monthly check went from $1,435 to $2,789. Is it possible your sister-in-law is calculating the percentage based on her new total versus her old amount? That might explain why she thinks she's getting 94% instead of the standard reduced amount. The SSA paperwork can be REALLY confusing to read!

Another possibility: the 94% figure might be accurate if her husband had claimed his benefits early. The survivor benefit calculation is based on several factors: 1. If the deceased claimed early, survivors can receive up to the higher of: - What the deceased was receiving, or - 82.5% of the deceased's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) 2. If survivor claims early, there's a reduction based on their age Possibly her husband claimed before his FRA, so his actual benefit was less than his PIA. She might be getting 81.8% of his PIA, which could work out to around 94% of the amount he was actually receiving. The SSA's exact calculations can be complex, and representatives sometimes simplify explanations.

I went through this EXACT situation last year and spent hours on the phone with SSA trying to understand my benefits after my husband died. The agents kept giving me different answers! After being disconnected 5 times and spending literally 3+ hours on hold, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an SSA agent in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent I finally spoke with explained my survivor benefit calculation in detail and sent me a follow-up letter. Turns out I was eligible for more than I thought. Your sister-in-law should definitely call SSA and get a detailed explanation of her specific calculation.

Is it possible she's including her own benefit PLUS some back pay? When my mom got survivor benefits, she got a lump sum death benefit plus some retroactive benefits going back to when my dad died (it took her 3 months to apply). Those extra amounts in the first payment made it seem like she was getting more than she actually was going forward.

the 94% thing is definitely wrong somehow. my wife gets survivors and it was REALLY reduced cause she took it at 60. SSA doesn't give out 94% to people claiming early!!! they ALWAYS reduce it!!! somebody is confused somewhere

has she checked her MySocialSecurity account online? my statement shows the exact breakdown of benefits

After reading through everyone's comments, I think we've identified several possibilities for the 94% figure: 1. She's calculating based on her new total versus her old benefit 2. Possible inclusion of retroactive payments in her calculation 3. Confusion about what percentage of what amount she's receiving 4. She hasn't actually checked her award letter or MySocialSecurity account The mathematical reality is that at 63 and 2 months, she would receive approximately 81.8% of her husband's PIA if she switched to survivor benefits. The best course of action is for her to check her MySocialSecurity account or call SSA directly to understand her specific benefit calculation. Do let us know what you find out!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now with my mom (she's 65). Her husband passed away last month and we're trying to figure out her survivor benefits too. One thing I learned from the SSA office is that they sometimes quote percentages differently than we expect. When they told my mom she'd get "90% of his benefit," what they actually meant was 90% of what he was receiving at the time of death, but since he had delayed retirement credits from waiting until 70, that 90% was still more than his full retirement age amount would have been. Also, make sure your sister-in-law understands that if she switches to survivor benefits, she gives up her own retirement benefit. It's not additive - it's whichever is higher. The SSA rep should have explained this to her, but sometimes they assume people already know. Has she received her first survivor benefit payment yet, or is she just going off what the SSA rep told her during the application? Sometimes there's a difference between the initial estimate and the actual payment amount.

I work for a nonprofit that helps seniors navigate Social Security benefits, and this type of confusion comes up frequently. The 94% figure your sister-in-law mentioned is almost certainly not her actual reduction percentage for claiming survivor benefits early. Here's what likely happened: Since her husband waited until age 70 to claim, his benefit included delayed retirement credits that boosted it to about 132% of his Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). When she claims survivor benefits at 63 and 2 months, she gets roughly 82% of his PIA due to the early claiming reduction. But 82% of his PIA might equal around 94% of what he was actually receiving monthly (since his actual benefit was inflated by delayed credits). So she's probably getting about $2,665 per month (82% of his PIA), which happens to be roughly 94% of his $3,250 monthly payment. The percentage she quoted refers to his actual payment, not the standard survivor benefit calculation. She should definitely review her MySocialSecurity account or award letter to see the exact calculation. Also confirm she understands that switching to survivor benefits means giving up her $1,100 retirement benefit - it's not both benefits combined.