Social Security survivor benefits - reduced if claiming before my FRA when husband dies?
I've been worrying about this situation with my Social Security benefits. My husband (61) is 6 years older than me (55), and we're trying to plan ahead for worst-case scenarios. He's always been the primary earner in our household - his earnings record would give him about $3,200/month at his FRA, while mine would only be around $1,500/month. My big question is about survivor benefits: If he were to pass away before I reach my full retirement age (which I think is 67), would I receive his FULL benefit amount as a widow, or would it be reduced because I'm claiming survivor benefits early? And if there is a reduction, does anyone know roughly how much that would be? We both have enough work credits to qualify for our own benefits, but with such a big difference in our benefit amounts, I need to understand exactly how widow benefits would work. Thanks for any help!
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StarStrider
Survivor benefits are indeed reduced if you claim them before your FRA. The reduction amount depends on exactly how early you claim: - At age 60 (earliest age for widow(er) benefits): You'd get about 71.5% of your husband's full benefit - Each month you wait after 60 increases the percentage slightly - If you wait until your FRA: You get 100% of what your husband was receiving (or would have received at his FRA) So if your husband was receiving $3,200/month and you claimed survivor benefits at age 60, you'd receive approximately $2,288/month instead of the full $3,200. Also keep in mind that if your husband passes before he reaches his FRA, the survivor benefit is based on what he would have received at his FRA (with some exceptions).
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Isabella Santos
•Thank you so much for this detailed response! So it sounds like there's a significant reduction for claiming survivor benefits early. Do you know if I'd have the option to take my own retirement benefits first (say at 62) and then switch to the higher survivor benefits when I reach my FRA? I'm trying to figure out the best strategy.
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Ravi Gupta
My husband passed 2 yrs ago and I had SAME situation!!!! I was 58 when he died (he was 64) and I was told I could claim Survivors at 60 but would only get like 70% of his benefit. WAIT AS LONG AS U CAN!!!!! The SSA person told me if possible try to wait til my FRA to get the FULL amount. Im taking my smaller benefit at 62 then switching to his at my full age.
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Isabella Santos
•I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your experience - that's exactly the kind of strategy I was wondering about. Did you find it difficult to get clear information from SSA about this option to take your smaller benefit first and then switch later?
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Freya Pedersen
One important thing nobody's mentioned - there's something called the Restricted Application strategy that might help you. As a widow, you have the option to take EITHER your own retirement benefit OR the survivor benefit, and then switch to the other later. So if you're 62, you could: 1. Take reduced survivor benefits first, then switch to your own retirement benefit at 70 (if your own benefit would grow to be larger) OR 2. Take your own reduced retirement benefit at 62, then switch to full survivor benefits at your FRA This flexibility is valuable and most people don't know about it. Which option is better depends on the specific benefit amounts and your financial needs. I'd recommend running the numbers for both scenarios.
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Omar Hassan
•This is actually incorrect information. Restricted Application only applies to people born before Jan 2, 1954. The OP is 55 so wouldn't qualify for that. But widows DO have special rules that are similar - they can choose between survivor benefits and their own retirement benefits at different times. Just wanted to clarify since the terminology is wrong but the strategy concept is right.
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Chloe Anderson
I've been through this exact situation and tried calling SSA dozens of times to get clarity. Always busy signals or 2+ hour wait times before getting disconnected. Finally I tried Claimyr.com and was able to connect with an SSA agent in under 10 minutes. They confirmed that as a widow I could take my reduced retirement at 62 and then switch to full survivor benefits at my FRA. Saved me weeks of frustration! They have a video explaining how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU if you're interested. Made a huge difference in my planning.
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Diego Vargas
•Is that service legit? I need to call SSA about my disability review and CANNOT get through no matter what time of day I call.
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Chloe Anderson
•Yes, it's legitimate. They basically navigate the phone system for you and call you when they have an agent on the line. Really helped me get through when I couldn't wait on hold for hours.
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CosmicCruiser
Did u talk 2 a financial advisor? my bro-in-law says SS isn't even gonna be around in 10 yrs so maybe look into other investments just in case
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StarStrider
•This is a common misconception. Social Security isn't going away, though without legislative changes, it may face reduced benefits (around 75-80% of current levels) when the trust fund is depleted. But it will still exist - payroll taxes continue to fund the system even after the trust fund runs out. Having additional investments is always wise, but planning on Social Security being completely gone isn't accurate.
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Omar Hassan
The benefit calculation for survivors is actually more complicated than most people realize. There's something called the RIB-LIM rule that might affect your situation. Basically, your survivor benefit might be limited if your husband claimed his benefits early (before his FRA). If he claimed at 62, for example, and was receiving a reduced benefit when he passed away, your survivor benefit at your FRA would be limited to the higher of: 1. What he was actually receiving at death 2. 82.5% of his Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) This is a technical aspect that SSA doesn't explain well, but it can significantly impact survivor benefits if the deceased spouse claimed early.
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Isabella Santos
•I had never heard of this RIB-LIM rule! My husband hasn't claimed benefits yet, but this is really important information for our planning. Does this mean if he claims early and then passes away, my survivor benefits would be permanently reduced even if I wait until my FRA to claim them?
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Omar Hassan
•Exactly. If he claims at 62 (getting a 30% reduction), and then passes away, your maximum survivor benefit would be affected by that early claiming decision even if you wait until your FRA. This is why it's sometimes recommended that the higher earner delay claiming as long as possible if maximizing survivor benefits is important to your financial plan.
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Diego Vargas
my aunt got widows benefits and they messed up her payments for 6 months!!!! make sure u double check EVERYTHING they tell you and get it in writing if possible
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Ravi Gupta
ALSO!!!!! don't forget the one-time death benefit of $255. Not much but better than nothing I guess.
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Isabella Santos
•Thanks for mentioning this. Every little bit helps, though you're right that $255 doesn't go very far these days. I appreciate everyone's help with this planning - it's stressful to think about but better to understand the options now.
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