Social Security survivor benefits percentages at different ages - widow turning 66 this year
My sister's husband just passed away last week and we're trying to figure out her survivor benefit options. She's currently 65 (born in 1958) and turns 66 in November 2024. She started her own Social Security at 63, but her husband's benefit was higher (he was on SSDI that converted to regular SS at 65). We've been researching survivor benefits but the percentages are confusing us. What percentage of his benefit would she receive if she claims at her current age (65 and 11 months)? What if she waits until her 66th birthday in November? We understand her survivor benefit FRA is 66 and 4 months (February 2025) - would waiting until then give her 100% of his amount? She's in a tight financial situation so we really need to understand the best timing. She plans to call SSA but wants to go in with some knowledge first. Any insights on the percentage differences between claiming in October, November, or waiting until February would be really helpful.
20 comments
Join the conversation
Amara Adebayo
So sorry about your sister's husband. This is confusing even for people who work with SS! I think for born in 1958 the survivor percents are like 95.3% at 65 and 8 months and then 97.8% at 66. You have to wait til 66 and 4 months to get the full 100%. But she shoudln't wait too long because there's only a 3 month retroactive period for survivors. Has she already applied? They should rush widows claims!
0 coins
PixelWarrior
•Thank you for the percentages - that helps a lot. She hasn't applied yet since it just happened. She's going to call this week. Is the 97.8% at exactly 66 or anytime in the month she turns 66?
0 coins
Giovanni Rossi
I'm sorry for your family's loss. Let me provide some specific information about survivor benefits in your sister's situation: 1. At 65 and 11 months (October 2024): She would receive approximately 95.9% of her husband's benefit amount 2. At age 66 (November 2024): She would receive approximately 97.2% of his benefit 3. At her survivor FRA of 66 and 4 months (February 2025): She would receive 100% of his benefit Important: Since she's already receiving her own retirement benefit, SSA will pay the higher of either her own benefit or the survivor benefit. They don't stack. She should apply right away even if she decides to take a reduced amount. The application date establishes eligibility, and she can specify when she wants benefits to begin. There's a 3-month limit on retroactive survivor payments.
0 coins
Fatima Al-Mansour
•OMG THANK YOU for this breakdown!! My mom is in almost the exact same situation (she's 65, husband died 2 months ago) and we've been on hold with the SS office for LITERALLY 3 days trying to get this exact info!!! The % breakdown is SO helpful. Would you happen to know if there's a chart somewhere that shows all the different percentages by month? My mom is trying to decide if waiting 4 more months is worth it for the extra 2.5% but she's really struggling financially.
0 coins
Dylan Evans
The previous response has the correct percentages. One additional point - your sister should apply for the survivor benefit immediately, even if she plans to delay the actual start date. This is because: 1. There's a limit on retroactive payments (only 3 months for survivors) 2. Processing can take time, and she'll want everything in place 3. She can specify her preferred start date during the application Also, when she calls, she should be prepared with her husband's death certificate, their marriage certificate, both Social Security numbers, and her banking information for direct deposit. The hold times to reach SSA right now are brutal though - I had to call 14 times over 3 days to finally get through for my mother's widow benefits.
0 coins
PixelWarrior
•Thank you for the document list - we'll make sure she has everything ready. She's been dreading the phone call because of those wait times. Is there any particular time of day that's better to call?
0 coins
Sofia Gomez
My condolences. I went thru this last yr when my wife passed. The SSA phone system is TOTAL NIGHTMARE!!! I tried for 2 WEEKS to get through!!! Either busy signals or disconnected after waiting 2+ hours. Finally I found this service called Claimyr that got me connected to a real person in 20 minutes!!! It was like magic after all that frustration. Their website is claimyr.com - they have a video how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Saved my sanity for sure. The rep I talked to was super helpful once I finally got through. They filed the survivor application and explained all the % options to me.
0 coins
PixelWarrior
•I've never heard of that service before. I'll definitely check it out if she has trouble getting through. Two weeks of calling sounds absolutely miserable, especially when dealing with grief at the same time.
0 coins
StormChaser
sry about ur loss 😔 my mom got survivor benefits last yr and she got like 98.6% at 66 and 2 months but thats cause she was born in 1957 so the rules mite be different for ur sis
0 coins
Giovanni Rossi
•You're right that the percentages vary based on birth year. For someone born in 1958 (like the original poster's sister), the full retirement age for survivor benefits is 66 and 4 months, and the reduction percentages are slightly different than for someone born in 1957. For reference, each month before FRA reduces the benefit by a specific percentage.
0 coins
Dmitry Petrov
CALL SSA IMMEDIATELY!!! Don't wait! My sister waited 2 months after her husband died thinking she needed time to "prepare" and ended up losing almost $8500 in benefits because survivor benefits can only be backdated 3 months!!! The reduction is only about 4.1% if she applies now versus waiting until her full survivor age. That's about $41 less per $1000 of benefit. If her husband's benefit was $2500, that's only $102.50 difference per month. But losing even 1 month of benefits at the full amount could be $2500 lost forever!
0 coins
PixelWarrior
•Oh wow, I had no idea the financial impact could be that significant. I'll make sure she calls this week. Thank you for sharing what happened with your sister - that's exactly the kind of mistake we want to avoid.
0 coins
Dylan Evans
One important thing no one has mentioned yet: When she calls SSA, she should ask specifically about the "RIB-LIM" rule that applies in her case since she started her own benefits early. This rule can affect how her survivor benefit is calculated since she took her own benefit before her FRA. Basically, because she started her own benefit at 63 (before her FRA), there might be an additional limitation on her survivor benefit. The SSA representative needs to calculate this specifically for her situation. It doesn't always apply, but it's worth asking about to avoid surprises.
0 coins
Fatima Al-Mansour
•Omg what is this RIB-LIM thing?? I've never heard of it! My mom took her benefits at 62 and is now applying for survivor benefits. No one at SSA mentioned this to us in any of our calls!! Is this going to reduce her payment even more???
0 coins
Dylan Evans
•RIB-LIM (Retirement Insurance Benefit Limitation) can apply in some cases, but don't panic. It mostly affects people who apply for survivor benefits between age 62-FRA who are already collecting their own reduced retirement. The calculation is complex and depends on your specific numbers. When your mother applies, the SSA rep will run the calculations - just make sure they explain how they determined her amount. In some cases, it has no effect at all.
0 coins
Amara Adebayo
I just delt with this last year!!!! make sure ur sister knows that if her husbands check was from SSDI there might be a disability freeze on his earnings record that could effect the PIA calculation for her survivors benefit!!! The SSA ppl didn't even mention this to me until my THIRD CALL and it made a $137 difference in my monthly payment!!!! The system is SO COMPLICATED uggggh
0 coins
PixelWarrior
•I had no idea about the disability freeze! What exactly should she ask about? Is there specific terminology she should use when mentioning this?
0 coins
Amara Adebayo
•Tell her to specifically ask: "Since my husband was on SSDI, is there a disability freeze on his earnings record, and how does that affect my survivor benefit calculation?" They should check if years of zero/low earnings due to disability were excluded from his benefit calculation. If they act confused just keep asking to speak to someone who understands disability freezes and PIA calculations!
0 coins
Giovanni Rossi
To address your original question more precisely about the percentages: - At 65 and 11 months: 95.9% of his benefit - At 66 (November 2024): 97.2% of his benefit - At 66 and 4 months (February 2025): 100% of his benefit The reduction is approximately 0.396% per month before her survivor FRA. The financial decision weighs immediate need against long-term gain. If she waits from October 2024 to February 2025 (4 months), she gains 4.1% higher benefit for life. Whether that's worth it depends on: 1. Her immediate financial needs 2. Life expectancy considerations 3. The actual dollar difference (4.1% of a $2,000 benefit is $82/month or $984/year) If she's in difficult financial circumstances, taking the slightly reduced amount now might make more sense than waiting for the higher amount.
0 coins
PixelWarrior
•Thank you for breaking down the exact percentages and monthly reduction rate. That helps tremendously with the decision. Since her husband's benefit was around $2,300, we're looking at about a $94 difference between claiming now versus at her FRA. Given her current financial situation, I think she'll probably claim soon rather than waiting for the full 100%.
0 coins