Sudden loss of ex-husband at 68 - how soon can I apply for Social Security survivor benefits?

I'm very sorry for your loss. Yes, you should apply for survivor benefits right away, especially since you were married for more than 10 years. Even if he hadn't filed for his own benefits yet, you're still eligible for survivor benefits as his ex-spouse. The good news is that you can actually start the application process before you have the death certificate. Call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 to set up an appointment - they'll tell you exactly what documents to bring. Generally you'll need your marriage certificate, divorce decree, his death certificate (when it arrives), both your Social Security numbers, and your banking info for direct deposit. They might also ask for his W-2 or tax return from last year.

u can go ahead n apply now. my mom did when my dad died. she just told them she ordered the death cert but didn't have it yet. they strarted her application but couldn't finalize till she brought it in. took her almost a month to get the benefit $ tho.

This is actually a unique situation that requires careful consideration. Since you're 68 and planning to delay your retirement benefits until 70, you have a strategic opportunity here. You can apply for *restricted survivor benefits* now while allowing your own retirement benefit to continue growing until 70. This strategy is still allowed even after the rule changes in recent years. As someone who was married for more than 10 years and hasn't remarried before age 60, you qualify for ex-spouse survivor benefits. The fact that he was still working and hadn't filed actually works in your favor in some ways. Your survivor benefit will be based on: 1. If he hadn't filed: 100% of his Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) 2. If he had filed early: The higher of his benefit amount or 82.5% of his PIA You should definitely initiate the process now. The earliest appointment might be several weeks out, so don't wait until you have the death certificate. You can always bring it later. Make sure to explicitly tell them you want to file a "restricted application" for survivor benefits only, so your own benefit can continue to grow.

@confused_citizen - The restricted application for *spousal* benefits was eliminated for people born after 1/1/1954, but the rules for survivor benefits are different. Survivors (including qualified ex-spouses) can still file for survivor benefits only and switch to their own higher retirement benefits later, or vice versa. It's one of the few remaining claiming strategies that allows this flexibility.

LISTEN TO ME CAREFULLY. Social Security is literally the WORST AGENCY to deal with right now. I had to get survivor benefits when my husband died in January and it took me THREE MONTHS to get through to them!!! I called that 800 number EVERY SINGLE DAY for WEEKS and either got busy signals or was on hold for hours only to get disconnected. When I finally got an appointment, they told me I was missing paperwork and had to come back. The whole process took FOREVER and I was almost evicted waiting for my benefits to start!!!! The system is BROKEN!!!

When my father passed away last year, I had the same frustrating experience trying to help my mom apply for survivor benefits. After weeks of failed attempts to reach the SSA, I discovered a service called Claimyr that got us through to a real agent in under 20 minutes. It was such a relief after all those busy signals and disconnections. You might want to check out their website at claimyr.com or watch their demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU to see how it works. It saved us weeks of frustration when we really needed to get the benefits process started quickly. Once we actually got through, the SSA agent was able to start the application even though we were still waiting on the death certificate.

To address your specific question about whether to take survivor benefits now or wait: Since you're currently 68, taking survivor benefits now while letting your own retirement benefit grow until 70 is generally the optimal strategy. Your own retirement benefit will increase by 8% per year until 70, while survivor benefits don't grow after you reach your Full Retirement Age (which you've already passed at 68). So in your case: 1. Apply for survivor benefits now 2. Collect those for the next two years 3. Switch to your own retirement benefit at 70 if it will be higher This will maximize your lifetime benefit amount. The SSA representative should be able to tell you the estimated amounts for both benefits so you can verify which will ultimately be higher.

so sorry for ur loss..just went thru this with my mom when dad died. one thing nobody mentioned is you should bring his death certificate, marriage certificate, divorce papers, your birth certificate, your social security card, and a copy of his most recent tax return if u can find it. they asked mom for ALL of that!

ALSO they're going to make you prove you haven't remarried!!! They made me bring in an official statement saying I was still single. The whole system is designed to make it HARD for you to get what you deserve! Make copies of EVERYTHING and don't let them tell you that you don't qualify!

@worried_widow - You typically don't need a specific document proving you're single. SSA will usually just ask you to sign a statement declaring your marital status under penalty of perjury. However, if there's any question, they might ask for documentation showing any subsequent marriages and divorces. The previous commenter may have had unusual circumstances that required additional verification. Regarding your ex-husband's tax return - this is helpful but not strictly required. Since he was working, SSA can access his earnings record directly. It might take slightly longer to process without the tax return, but it won't prevent you from receiving benefits.

my aunt had this happen got less $ than expected cuz they said something about WEP or GPO or something?? she worked for a school district that didnt pay into ss. does that apply to u?

my condolenses. i just want to add that when my mom was trying to get my dads benefits the funeral home actually helped her with some of the paperwork. they dealt with ss stuff all the time so maybe ask them if they have any advice?