Social Security survivor benefits - can I choose between current or ex-husband's benefits when one dies?

Yes, if your current husband passes away, you would be eligible for survivor benefits from him. And since your previous marriage lasted more than 10 years, you could potentially receive survivor benefits from your ex-husband if he passes away too. The key is that you can claim whichever benefit amount is higher, but not both simultaneously. The SSA will pay the higher of the two benefit amounts. Also, just so you know, survivor benefits can be claimed as early as age 60 (or 50 if disabled), though they're reduced if claimed before your Full Retirement Age. Since you're already 63, you could claim reduced survivor benefits immediately if either husband passed away, or wait until your FRA for the maximum survivor benefit.

my sister went thru something like this last year when her husband died. SSA gave her the runaround for WEEKS trying to get her survivors benefits. she kept calling and getting disconnected or waiting for hours. nightmare!!!

The previous advice is mostly correct, but there's one IMPORTANT detail they missed. If you remarry AFTER age 60, you can still claim survivor benefits from a previous spouse. But since you remarried at around 50 (based on your ages and marriage length), this rule doesn't help you. HOWEVER, you ARE still eligible to claim survivor benefits from EITHER your current husband OR your ex-husband if they pass away - whichever gives you the higher benefit. Just not both at the same time as correctly stated above.

Just to add a bit more detail that might be helpful - when you're comparing survivor benefits between your current husband and ex-husband (assuming both have passed away), the calculation is based on what each would have received at their Full Retirement Age (FRA), or what they were actually receiving if they had already claimed benefits. And remember that survivor benefits are different from spousal benefits. While you're all living, you can only receive spousal benefits from your current husband, not an ex. But survivor benefits give you more options. One strategy to consider: if your own retirement benefit might grow to be larger than either survivor benefit, you could claim the survivor benefit first (from whichever husband had the higher benefit) and then switch to your own retirement benefit later if it grows to be larger. You might want to consult with a financial advisor who specializes in Social Security planning to maximize your benefits.

when my husband passed the social security office made me bring like 50 documents!! bring EVERYTHING with you - marriage certificate, death certificate, birth certificate, social security cards, tax returns. they wanted everything but my grocery list lol

My wife's cousin tried to claim on her deceased ex and it was a TOTAL NIGHTMARE getting through to SSA. She kept calling and getting disconnected or waiting for hours only to be told to call back another day. She finally used some service called Claimyr that got her through to a real person at SSA in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours. She showed me the video of how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU and the website is claimyr.com. Apparently it works for disability claims too. Worth looking into if you end up needing to call SSA about these benefits.

I went through this last year. After my husband died I found out my ex's benefit would have been higher (he died 5 years ago). But guess what? There's a TIME LIMIT to apply for those survivor benefits - I think it's only like 6 months after death!!! So I MISSED OUT on thousands of dollars because nobody told me! Make sure you apply right away if something happens!!!

Just one more thing to keep in mind: When calculating survivor benefits, the age at which the deceased claimed their own benefits can affect the survivor benefit amount. If they claimed early (before FRA), that can reduce the survivor benefit. If they delayed claiming (after FRA), the survivor benefit includes those delayed retirement credits. Also, should either your current husband or ex-husband pass away, you should contact Social Security promptly. As another commenter mentioned, retroactive benefits are limited, and the application process can take time. Having all your documentation ready (marriage certificates, divorce decree, birth certificates, Social Security numbers) will make the process smoother.