Social Security survivor benefits vs. combining my own SS with husband's - confused about maximizing widow benefits

Your neighbor is probably confused about what she's actually receiving. You can't receive BOTH your own benefit AND a spouse/widow benefit simultaneously - that's not how Social Security works. What likely happened is she switched from one to the other. Here's what you CAN do: If your own retirement benefit would be higher than your current widow's benefit, you could switch to your own benefit when you reach your Full Retirement Age (FRA). Or if your widow's benefit would be higher at YOUR FRA than your own retirement benefit, you could switch to your own smaller benefit now and then switch to the higher widow's benefit at your FRA. I'd recommend making an appointment with SSA to review your options. Based on your work history as a nurse for 31 years, you might have a decent benefit on your own record.

My mom did something like this!!! She collected her own SS at 62 (reduced amount) and then when she hit full retirement age she switched to my dad's survivor benefit which was higher. I think that might be what your neighbor did. You should check with SS though because i think it depends on when you were born.

There's a specific strategy that might be what your neighbor is referring to, but it's often misunderstood. You cannot receive both benefits in full simultaneously, but you might be able to optimize your situation. Here's how it works: If you haven't reached your Full Retirement Age (FRA) yet, you have options. For someone born in 1959, FRA is 66 and 10 months. Since you're already collecting widow's benefits early (reduced amount), you could potentially: 1. Continue with reduced widow's benefits until FRA, then switch to your own retirement benefit if it would be higher 2. Switch to your own retirement benefit now (also reduced), allowing your widow's benefit to grow until FRA, then switch back to the higher widow's benefit The second strategy often confuses people into thinking they're getting "both" when really they're just strategically switching between the two. I highly recommend contacting SSA directly to review your specific earnings record and benefit amounts. They can calculate exactly which strategy would maximize your lifetime benefits.

The SSA is IMPOSSIBLE to get through to!!! I spent THREE WEEKS trying to talk to someone about my disability application. They'll just hang up on you when they're too busy which is ALWAYS. It's ridiculous that they expect elderly people to wait on hold for 3+ hours!!! A friend told me about a service called Claimyr that got me through to SSA in 20 minutes instead of hours. Check out their video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU or go to claimyr.com. Seriously saved my sanity when dealing with this widow benefit mess.

my sister was in your situation last year and what she did was switch from the widow benefit to her own ss at 64 and she said it was more money for her. but everyones situation is different. good luck!

There's a lot of confusion in this thread, so let me clarify: You CANNOT receive both your own retirement benefit AND your widow's benefit in full at the same time. What you CAN do is receive the higher of the two. However, there is a special claiming strategy that might help maximize your benefits: 1. If you're receiving reduced widow's benefits now (because you claimed before FRA), you can switch to your own retirement benefit at any point if that would be higher. 2. Alternatively, if your own benefit at age 70 would be higher than your current widow's benefit, you could switch to your own retirement now (also reduced), let your own benefit grow with delayed retirement credits until 70, then claim your own higher benefit. But this is highly dependent on your specific earnings record and your late husband's benefit amount. The only way to know for sure is to speak with SSA directly and have them calculate the projections for each scenario. As a nurse with 31 years of work, you likely have a substantial benefit on your own record, so this analysis is definitely worth doing.

when my husband died i just took his benefit cause it was bigger than mine would ever be. nobody told me about switching back and forth stuff. now im 72 and probably missed out on thousands. the system is so complicated on purpose i think

Used that Claimyr service I mentioned and FINALLY got through to SSA today. The rep confirmed what others here are saying - you CAN'T get both benefits at the same time. BUT there's a strategy where you can switch between them to maximize. For me, it made sense to take my own benefit at 62 (already did) and then switch to survivor benefits at my FRA. For you it might be different - you need to talk to them about YOUR specific numbers because it's all based on your work history, when your husband died, his benefit amount, etc. SO many factors!

Glad you got the information you needed! Just to summarize for anyone else reading this thread: 1. You cannot receive both your own and widow's benefits simultaneously 2. You can strategically switch between them at different ages to maximize your total lifetime payout 3. The optimal strategy depends on your specific earnings record, your age, and your deceased spouse's benefit amount 4. Always consult directly with SSA about your specific situation rather than relying on what worked for someone else This is why it's so important to get personalized advice from SSA rather than going by what neighbors or friends tell you about their situations.