Social Security widow's benefit at 65 vs waiting until FRA - confused about SSDI 82.5% widow's cap

There's often confusion around widow's benefits when the deceased spouse was on SSDI. Here's what you need to know: When your husband was receiving SSDI, he was receiving his full PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) - it wasn't reduced. The 82.5% widow's cap applies to widow's benefits when the deceased was on disability. This means if you take widow's benefits before your FRA, the maximum you can receive is 82.5% of your husband's benefit amount at the time of his death. If you wait until your FRA, you can receive 100% of what he was receiving. At 65, you'd receive approximately 85-90% of his benefit (depending on exact birth month), but capped at 82.5% due to the disability rule. Waiting until your FRA would give you the full 100% of his $2,450.

My husband was also on disabilty when he passed and i had similar confusion. The 82.5% is because of something called the RIB-LIM rule they dont explain well. SSA messed up my benfit calculation twice before getting it right so make sure u double check what they tell u!!! Theyres a reason they call it "Retirement Insurance Benefit LIMitation" because it LIMITS what we get lol

Listen, I've been through EXACTLY this! The 82.5% widow's cap is real and it's specifically for when your spouse was on disability. It's called the RIB-LIM (Retirement Insurance Benefit Limitation) and it's one of SSA's most confusing policies. Here's my advice: WAIT until your FRA if you can financially. At FRA, you'll get 100% of what your husband was receiving at death. The 82.5% cap ONLY applies if you take it early. I took mine early at 63 and regret it every month when I see that smaller payment. Also, make an appointment with SSA and specifically ask for someone who understands the RIB-LIM rule for widow's benefits - not all reps understand it correctly!

I had such a nightmare trying to get proper widow's benefits! Called SSA for weeks and couldn't get through. Wait times were 2+ hours and then would get disconnected. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. The agent I spoke with actually understood the RIB-LIM rule and explained exactly how my benefits would be calculated. Worth every penny to not spend weeks trying to get through.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO CONFUSE US!!! My sister lost THOUSANDS because she didn't understand this 82.5% cap thing and took her widow's benefits at 60!!! No one at SSA explained it to her properly. They WANT us to take benefits early so they pay out LESS overall. DON'T TRUST what the first rep tells you - ask for a supervisor who specializes in survivor benefits!

To clarify some of the information here: The 82.5% cap is part of what's called the RIB-LIM rule (Retirement Insurance Benefit Limitation). This rule comes into play specifically because your husband was receiving disability benefits. Under normal circumstances (if your husband had not been on disability), the reduction for taking widow's benefits early would be calculated differently. At your current age (65), with an FRA of 67 and 2 months, you would receive about 89.3% of your husband's benefit if the RIB-LIM didn't apply. However, because of this special rule, you're limited to 82.5%. If you wait until your FRA, you'll receive 100% of his benefit amount ($2,450). This is a difference of $429 per month, or over $5,100 per year, which is significant. If you don't urgently need the income now, waiting until your FRA would be financially advantageous in the long run.

my condolences on your husband. i went thru the same thing last yr. one thing nobody mentioned is you should check if ur OWN retirement benefit might be higher than the widows benefit. my husband had a low ssdi payment and my own benefit was actually higher! the ssa people never told me to check this, i just figured it out myself!

One more important thing to consider: If you wait until your FRA to claim widow's benefits, you could potentially file for your OWN retirement benefits at 62 (at a reduced rate), then switch to the full widow's benefit at your FRA. Or alternatively, take the widow's benefit now at the reduced amount, then switch to your own retirement benefit at 70 if your benefit plus delayed retirement credits would be higher. This is one of the few remaining opportunities to use a "switching strategy" since most other filing options were eliminated with the 2015 law changes. I'd recommend scheduling an appointment with SSA to discuss these options based on your specific earnings record.

dont forget about taxes!!!! if ur still working and take ss early u might hit the earnings limit and have to pay some back. happened to my friend and it was a huge mess. also they tax up to 85% of ss benefits if ur other income is high enough. just something else to think about

Thank you all for such helpful responses! I think I've decided to wait until my FRA to claim the widow's benefit. The 82.5% cap vs. 100% at FRA makes a big difference financially. I'm going to schedule an appointment with SSA to discuss that switching strategy too - taking my own benefit early and then switching to widow's benefits at FRA. I hadn't even considered that possibility! I'm also going to request someone who specifically understands the RIB-LIM rule. I'll try using that Claimyr service to get through since many of you mentioned how hard it is to reach someone. I truly appreciate everyone taking the time to share your knowledge and personal experiences - it's made a confusing situation much clearer!