Social Security survivor benefits stopping after remarriage? My child is 10 but I'm getting conflicting SS info

You received the correct information from your sister. When you remarry before age 60, your widow's survivor benefits stop as of the month of remarriage. However, your son's survivor benefits will continue until he turns 18 (or 19 if still in high school). The fact that SSA hasn't stopped your payments yet is concerning, as this will eventually be discovered during routine checks, resulting in an overpayment notice. You were smart to save the money! You should immediately: 1. Visit your local SSA office in person with your marriage certificate 2. Request they document that you self-reported the marriage 3. Ask them to calculate the exact overpayment amount 4. Request a payment plan if needed The good news is that since you've been proactive and have the funds set aside, this should be relatively painless to resolve. Your son's benefits will continue unchanged.

The same thing happened to my cousin!!! She remaried and didnt tell SSA for like 8 months and then they made her pay back alomost $9000!! So mad that they dont explain this better!!!!

This is one of those weird SS rules that confuses everyone. Here's the exact policy: - If you remarry BEFORE age 60, your widow/widower benefits stop - If you remarry AFTER age 60, your benefits continue - Your CHILD'S benefits continue regardless of your marital status It sounds like you're under 60, so your benefits should have stopped upon remarriage. The fact that they didn't is an administrative error that will eventually be caught. The SSA system doesn't automatically know you've remarried - it's your responsibility to report life changes. You're smart to have saved the money. When the SSA discovers this (and they will during routine reviews), they'll issue an overpayment notice for every dollar paid to you since your remarriage date.

I spent hours trying to reach someone at Social Security last month about a similar issue. Kept getting disconnected or waiting forever. Finally I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to a real person in about 15 minutes. They have this service where they navigate SSA's phone system and call you when they've got an agent on the line. They have a video that shows exactly how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Way less stressful than repeatedly calling and getting nowhere. For something important like this where you need a definitive answer in writing, it's worth getting through to a real person who can document your file.

The others are correct - your benefits should have stopped when you remarried. But don't panic! Since you've been saving the money, you're in good shape. The SSA deals with overpayments all the time, and they will work with you on repayment. One thing I want to mention: when you go to the SSA office, request a "waiver of overpayment recovery" form (SSA-632). If you can demonstrate that: 1. The overpayment wasn't your fault (you specifically asked and were given wrong info) 2. Repayment would cause financial hardship There's a possibility they might waive some or all of the repayment. It's not guaranteed, but worth trying, especially since an SSA employee gave you incorrect information when you reported your marriage. Make sure to document who told you what and when.

Is anyone going to mention how terribly designed this system is? This poor woman did everything right - she reported her marriage, asked about her benefits, and followed the information she was given BY THE SSA. Now she's facing thousands in repayments because THEIR EMPLOYEE gave her wrong information? The fact that different SSA reps give different answers to the same question shows how broken the system is. OP, I'm really sorry you're dealing with this madness.

Am I the only one wondering why she's been getting benefits at all? You have to be retirement age to get social security, right? I'm confused.