Social Security survivor benefits question - Do delayed retirement credits apply if spouse dies shortly after filing?

I'm so sorry about your husband's condition. To answer your question directly: your survivor benefit would be based on what your husband was actually receiving when he passed away ($2,700), not what he might have received had he delayed until 69. Since he had already filed for benefits, the delayed retirement credits don't apply. If he had not yet filed for benefits and passed away, then the SSA would have calculated his benefit with delayed credits up to the date of death. But once someone has filed, that locks in their benefit amount for survivor benefit calculations. When you reach your FRA, you should speak with SSA about your options. You might want to take your own benefit now and switch to the survivor benefit later, or vice versa, depending on the amounts.

This happened to my sister last year!!! My brother-in-law filed for SS and then died 6 weeks later from a heart attack. She got widow benefits but ONLY the amount he was actually getting not what he WOULD HAVE got if he waited longer. SSA told her once someone files that amount is LOCKED IN for survivors too. It's really not fair because they had planned to wait longer but he got sick suddenly so filed earlier. The system doesn't care about individual circumstances!

my condolences but theres something nobody mentioned yet - check if ur husbands been getting SS for less than 12 months, you can withdraw his application completely!! its called a 'withdrawal of application' and its on form SSA-521, he gets to repay whatever benefits he received and its like he never applied at all! then survivor benefits would include the delayed credits up to his death

This is exactly right. If your husband has been receiving benefits for less than 12 months, you can file Form SSA-521 (Request for Withdrawal of Application) and repay all benefits received so far. In your situation, that would make it as if he never filed for benefits, and then the survivor benefits would be calculated with delayed retirement credits up to the date of his passing. Just to be clear on the math: If your husband's FRA benefit is $2,700, and he lived two years past his FRA without filing (to age 69), that would have been an 8% increase per year for a total of 16% more. So instead of $2,700, the survivor benefit would be about $3,132 per month. This is definitely worth considering given the significant difference in monthly benefits over your lifetime.

I had to deal with this EXACT situation when my mom passed. Try calling SSA to explain but good luck actually reaching someone! I spent WEEKS trying to get through on their 800 number and kept getting disconnected or told the wait time was 2+ hours. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a person in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I reached someone, they explained all my options including the withdrawal option others mentioned. Since this is time-sensitive with the 12-month window, I wouldn't waste time trying to get through the normal SSA channels.

Everybody saying withdraw the application is assuming her husband can consent to this. If he's medically incapacitated and she doesn't have power of attorney for him already the SSA probably won't let her withdraw HIS application. Maybe someone with experience with this specific situation can chime in?

To address the power of attorney question: You'll need a specific type of POA for Social Security matters. A medical POA usually doesn't cover financial/governmental matters. However, there's another option if your husband can't sign the withdrawal form - you can apply to be his representative payee. In emergency situations like this, SSA can sometimes expedite the process. Bring your medical POA documents with you to the SSA office along with documentation from his doctor about his condition. They may be able to process the withdrawal request if you're appointed as his representative payee. I strongly recommend going to your local SSA office in person rather than just calling for this complex situation. Bring all medical documentation and be prepared to explain the time-sensitive nature of the situation.

Jus wanted to say im sorry about ur husband and hope he recovers. My aunt was in same boat but she didnt know about the 12 month withdrawal thing until it was too late... definatly get on this quick b4 u miss the window. The differance in benifits adds up to alot of $$$ over time.

One more thing - if you withdraw his application make SURE you understand you have to repay ALL the money he already got from SS!!! They won't process the withdrawal until every penny is paid back. If he got a big retroactive payment this could be thousands you need to have ready!