Social Security survivor benefits vs my retirement - confused about RIB-LIM and 82.5% widow's limit
I lost my wife unexpectedly in July. She was 68 (past her FRA) when she passed. I began collecting my own SS retirement in February at age 62 (turned 62 last December). My benefit is about $1,650/month, which is significantly lower than my wife's benefit was ($2,450/month). I finally got a phone appointment with my local SSA office for November (waited 3 months!) to discuss switching to survivor benefits. The SSA rep mentioned something about a "widow's limit" and RIB-LIM being 82.5% if I'm at a certain number of months after 62. But then he said I'd actually get more money if I repaid all the retirement benefits I've received so far and applied for survivor benefits from scratch. This doesn't match anything I've read about the widow's limit. Has anyone navigated this situation before? I'm trying to understand if there's really an advantage to repaying my benefits versus just switching to the higher survivor amount. Really confused and could use some guidance from someone who's been through this.
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Caleb Stone
I'm very sorry for your loss. The RIB-LIM rule is confusing but important in your situation. When you take your own retirement benefits before FRA and then qualify for survivor benefits, there's a limit (called RIB-LIM) that prevents you from getting the full survivor benefit. The 82.5% applies to widow(er)s who are exactly at age 62. It's complicated because the percentage changes based on your exact age in months. What the rep suggested about repaying benefits is legitimate and is called "withdrawal of application" (Form SSA-521). You have 12 months from when you started collecting your own benefits to withdraw, repay everything you've received, and then apply as if you never took your retirement. In that case, you could get the full survivor benefit with just the reduction for your age. It's a financial calculation - will repaying several months of benefits be worth getting the higher amount long term? In most cases, yes, but depends on your specific benefit amounts.
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Jade Santiago
•Thank you for this explanation! So if I've received about $16,500 in benefits so far (10 months), I'd need to repay that amount? And if I do that, would I then receive the $2,450 my wife was getting, or would it still be reduced because I'm only 63? I'm trying to figure out if paying back that $16,500 is worth it in the long run.
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Daniel Price
whats a RIB-LIM?? i thought you always just got the higher of the two benefits when your spouse dies. my mom got my dads benefits after he died and nobody told her anything about limits or percentages
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Caleb Stone
•It depends on when you claim. If you claim after your own Full Retirement Age, you get the higher of the two. But if you claim before FRA, the RIB-LIM (Retirement Insurance Benefit Limitation) applies. It's a complex calculation that essentially prevents you from getting a higher total amount by switching between benefits than you would have received if you'd made the optimal choice from the beginning. Your mom might have been past her FRA when she claimed, or the rule might not have affected her specific situation.
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Olivia Evans
I went through this exact situation last year! So frustrating dealing with Social Security. When my husband died, I was already taking my own benefits at age 63. The local office gave me THREE different answers on three different calls. One said I should switch immediately, another said wait, and the third mentioned this RIB-LIM thing!!
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Jade Santiago
•That sounds incredibly frustrating! What did you end up doing? Did you stick with your own benefit or switch to survivor benefits? Did anyone ever clearly explain the RIB-LIM calculation to you?
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Olivia Evans
•I ended up switching to survivor benefits but didn't do the withdrawal/repayment thing. My monthly check went up about $400, which was better than nothing. But nobody ever properly explained RIB-LIM to me - I still don't fully understand it! I think I might have left money on the table, honestly.
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Sophia Bennett
After dealing with SSA's phone systems for WEEKS trying to get information about my mother's survivor benefits, I finally discovered a service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual SSA agent in 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours or getting disconnected. You might want to check it out (claimyr.com) - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU that shows how it works. Honestly wish I'd known about it months ago when I was first trying to sort through the survivor benefit mess. Would've saved so much frustration.
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Aiden Chen
•does this actually work?? i've tried calling SS like 5 times this month and either sit on hold forever or get hung up on
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Sophia Bennett
•Yes, it worked for me. I was skeptical too but was desperate after trying for weeks to get through on my own. They got me connected to an agent who actually helped me figure out my mom's survivor benefits. Much better than waiting for an appointment months out.
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Zoey Bianchi
The advice about withdrawing your application is technically correct, but there's a detail missing. If you withdraw and switch to ONLY survivor benefits, you'd get the amount calculated based on your current age (reduced since you're under FRA), not the full $2,450 your wife received. Here's what I think is happening: If you stay on your own benefit now, the RIB-LIM rule would restrict your survivor benefit when you eventually switch. But if you withdraw your retirement application and apply only for survivor benefits, the RIB-LIM wouldn't apply because you'd no longer be considered to have taken early retirement benefits. In your case, you should calculate: 1. Your current benefit: $1,650/month 2. What your reduced survivor benefit would be now at age 63 (approximately 81.7% of your wife's $2,450, so about $2,001) 3. Whether paying back $16,500 to gain an extra $351/month is worth it ($16,500 ÷ $351 = 47 months to break even) Seems like it would take about 4 years to break even. If you expect to live longer than that, it's probably worth doing.
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Jade Santiago
•Thank you for breaking down the math! That makes the decision much clearer. Since I'm in good health and my family tends to be long-lived, the 4-year break-even point makes the withdrawal option seem worthwhile. Is there a deadline for making this decision? I know you mentioned 12 months from starting benefits, which would give me until February.
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Daniel Price
wait i'm confused about something... if the wife was already gettin 2450 why wouldn't the husband just get that same amount? why all these calculations and percentages??? the whole system is rigged to cheat us i swear
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Zoey Bianchi
•He would get the full $2,450 only if he claimed survivor benefits at his full retirement age (probably 66+). Since he's claiming before that (at 63), there's a reduction. It's the same concept as taking regular retirement benefits early - you get less if you claim before your FRA. It's not cheating people; it's an actuarial adjustment since you'd be collecting benefits for a longer period.
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Christopher Morgan
The RIB-LIM rule is THE WORST and MOST CONFUSING rule in Social Security!!! I spent HOURS trying to understand it when my husband died and even the SSA people gave me different answers every time! I had taken my benefits at 62 and then my husband died when I was 64. I ended up keeping my own benefit until I hit my FRA (66+4mo) and THEN switching to survivor benefits to avoid all the RIB-LIM limitations. The system is designed to confuse us and pay us as little as possible!!!
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Jade Santiago
•That's interesting - so you waited until your FRA to switch? I'm wondering if that might be another option for me instead of repaying all those benefits. Did you find that you got more by waiting until FRA to make the switch? I'm just trying to understand all my options.
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Christopher Morgan
•YES! By waiting until my FRA to switch, I wasn't subject to the RIB-LIM reduction AND I got 100% of my husband's benefit without the age reduction. The tradeoff was getting my lower benefit for a few years, but the math worked out better in my case because the difference wasn't huge. In your case, with a $800 difference, waiting might NOT be better than repaying. You really need to calculate both scenarios!
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Aiden Chen
my condolences on ur loss. when my husband passed the ssa office told me something different than what they told u. they said just take the higher benefit and thats it. didnt mention anything about paybacks or limribs or whatever. maybe different offices have different rules?
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Caleb Stone
•The rules are the same nationwide, but unfortunately, not all SSA representatives explain things completely or correctly. The complexity depends on your specific situation - particularly your age when claiming and whether you've already taken your own benefits. If you were already at your full retirement age when your husband passed, the RIB-LIM rule wouldn't have applied to you, which might explain why they gave you simpler information.
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Jade Santiago
Thank you all for the helpful responses! I've decided to gather all my paperwork and apply for the withdrawal of my retirement application. Based on the 4-year break-even calculation, it makes sense in my situation. I'm going to call SSA tomorrow to start the process (or try that Claimyr service if I can't get through). I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and knowledge - navigating this system while dealing with grief has been overwhelming, and your help has made a significant difference.
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Olivia Evans
•Good luck! Make sure to get everything in writing when you do this. I found that having a written record of what the SSA rep told me was super helpful later when questions came up. And be prepared for the possibility that the first person you talk to might not understand what you're trying to do - sometimes you need to talk to a supervisor who's more familiar with these complicated rules.
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