Social Security survivor benefits question - if wife claims at 63 but I wait until FRA, what happens if I die?

so ur wife can file for SS at 63 but that has nothing 2 do with survivor benifits. survivors benifits are totally different! if u die b4 collecting she gets whatever u would have got at ur FRA i think

There's some confusion here that I'd like to clear up. Survivor benefits are indeed separate from retirement benefits, but there's more to this situation. If your wife claims her own retirement benefits at 63 (receiving a reduced amount due to claiming before her FRA), and you pass away without having claimed, she would be eligible for survivor benefits based on your record. At that point, she has options: 1) She could continue receiving her own reduced retirement benefit 2) She could switch to survivor benefits If she switches to survivor benefits before her FRA, those survivor benefits would be reduced based on HER age when she claims them, not because she claimed her own benefits early. However, if she waits until her FRA to claim survivor benefits, she could receive 100% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) or what you would have received at your FRA. This is why many couples use a strategy where one spouse claims early and the higher-earning spouse delays as long as possible to maximize the eventual survivor benefit.

I went thru something similar with my husband before he passed. What they DONT tell you is that the SSA systems are so overwhelmed that getting this stuff sorted out takes FOREVER!!! When my husband died i had to wait almost 3 months just to get an appointment to apply for survivor benefits and then another 2 months to get my first payment. They kept saying my application was "processing" but nobody could tell me anything specific!!!!

Just to provide you with the technically correct information: Your wife's decision to take her retirement benefits early has no direct impact on her eventual survivor benefits. These are two separate entitlements. If you pass away before claiming, your wife would be eligible for survivor benefits based on your record. The amount she receives would depend on: 1. Your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) - what you would have received at your FRA 2. Her age when she claims survivor benefits If she claims survivor benefits before her FRA, they would be reduced (approximately 4.75% per year early). If she waits until her FRA to claim survivor benefits, she would receive 100% of your PIA. Important: She can actually switch between benefits. So a common strategy would be for her to take her reduced retirement benefit at 63, then when you pass away (hopefully many years later), she could switch to the higher survivor benefit. Or if you pass away while she's still 63, she could take reduced survivor benefits immediately OR continue with her own reduced benefit until FRA and then switch to full survivor benefits. This flexibility allows for maximizing lifetime benefits under various scenarios.

@anxious_commenter - That's a good question. Yes, if the higher-earning spouse (in this case, the husband) claims retirement benefits before his FRA, then the survivor benefit would be based on that reduced amount, with one exception: survivors are entitled to a special minimum benefit of 82.5% of the deceased's PIA. But in the scenario described by the original poster, he's considering waiting until his FRA to file, so the survivor benefit would be based on 100% of his PIA. And if he were to delay even beyond FRA (up to age 70), the survivor benefit would include those delayed retirement credits as well - making the strategy of the higher earner delaying even more valuable from a survivor benefit perspective.

Everyone here is giving such complicated answers! The simple answer is that if ur wife takes SS at 63 and u never file and then die, she can get survivor benefits based on your record and those would be reduced if she claims them before her FRA but not because she took her own benefit early. But u should really talk to a financial advisor who specializes in SS before making any decisions!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! This clarifies a lot for me. It sounds like my wife claiming her own benefit early doesn't directly affect potential survivor benefits, which is what I was worried about. And it seems like my plan to delay my own claiming is a good idea for maximizing her potential survivor benefit if needed. I'm thinking our strategy should be: 1. Have my wife claim at 63 as planned 2. I'll delay at least to my FRA (67) or possibly even to 70 for maximum survivor protection 3. If I pass away before claiming, she can either take reduced survivor benefits immediately OR stay on her own reduced benefit until her FRA and then switch to full survivor benefits Does this sound like an optimal approach given our situation? And should we consult with someone at SSA directly to confirm all this?

Your strategy sounds solid. The only thing I'd add is that talking directly with SSA probably won't give you the strategic advice you're looking for - they'll explain the rules but typically don't provide planning strategies. A financial advisor who specializes in Social Security claiming strategies might be more helpful. As for verification, the SSA.gov website has good information on survivor benefits if you want to confirm. Look under "If You Are The Survivor" section.