When will my wife receive my full Social Security benefits after I die? Both at FRA

When you pass away, your wife will be eligible to receive your full benefit amount as a survivor benefit, assuming she's at or past her full retirement age (which she is). She won't receive both benefits - the SSA will pay the higher of the two amounts, so she would get your $2,800 instead of her $1,100. There's nothing you need to file in advance, but she will need to report your death to Social Security and apply for survivor benefits when the time comes. She can't do this online - she'll need to call SSA or visit an office.

My dad passed last yr and mom got his SS but took almost 3 months!!! had to keep calling and calling. so frustrating

I went through this when my husband died. You should know there's also a one-time death benefit of $255 your wife can claim. Not much but every bit helps. One important thing - she should NOT wait to report your death because benefits can only be paid from when she applies. The SSA won't automatically know you've died or switch her over. She needs to call them within a month of your passing. And yes, there's usually a gap between applying and receiving the higher benefit. Make sure you have some emergency savings set aside for her to manage during that period.

my neighbor had this EXACT situation last year!!! her husband died and SSA kept sending HIS check for 2 months after he died. then they wanted ALL that money back and stopped both checks until it was fixed!! she had NO income for almost 2 months while they sorted it out!!! be CAREFUL!!!

When my husband passed, I tried for WEEKS to get through to SS on the phone. Always busy or disconnected! I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in under 10 minutes. Totally worth it since I was able to report his death and apply for survivor benefits in one call. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Just sharing because the phone system is impossible these days and this saved me a lot of stress during an already difficult time.

I work with retirement planning and here's what you should know about survivor benefits: 1. Your wife will receive 100% of your benefit amount since she's at FRA 2. There's a typical processing time of 6-8 weeks for survivor claims 3. Benefits are not retroactive to the date of death - only from application date 4. She'll need your death certificate when applying 5. If she has direct deposit already set up, that doesn't change Other important note: if your wife is still working, there's no earnings limit that would reduce survivor benefits since she's past FRA. Also, survivor benefits are treated the same as regular SS for tax purposes.

Actually the rules for SSI and SSDI are different when it comes to survivors. If your getting SSDI then your wife gets less I think.

One more thing I should mention - if you're concerned about your wife having to navigate the system after your passing, you might want to create a simple document for her with: 1. Your Social Security number 2. Where your important documents are kept 3. Contact information for SSA 4. A basic checklist of what she'll need to do This can make things much easier during a difficult time. I've seen many spouses struggle with the administrative aspects while grieving.

did u know they MAKE ur wife go in person to apply for the survivor thing?? my friends mom couldnt do it on the website had to call and make appointment. took FOREVER

As someone who just went through the survivor benefits process myself, I want to emphasize how important it is to have all your paperwork organized beforehand. When my husband passed 6 months ago, having everything in one place made a huge difference. A few practical tips: Make sure your wife knows where to find your Social Security card, marriage certificate, and birth certificate - she'll need copies of these. Also, if you have any pension or 401k benefits that might affect her Social Security, document those too since they can sometimes impact timing. The emotional toll of dealing with bureaucracy while grieving is real, so anything you can do now to simplify the process for her will be a gift. Consider even doing a practice run - call SSA together now just to understand the process so she's familiar with it.

I'm dealing with a similar situation with my parents right now. One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that if your wife remarries before age 60, she would lose eligibility for survivor benefits from your record. But if she remarries at 60 or later, she can keep receiving your survivor benefits. Just something to keep in mind for long-term planning, though I know it's probably not something you want to think about right now. The financial planning aspect of all this can be overwhelming, but it sounds like you're being very thoughtful about making sure she's prepared.

I'm going through something similar with my elderly parents right now. One additional thing to consider is making sure your wife has her own my Social Security account set up online at ssa.gov. Even though she can't apply for survivor benefits online, having the account gives her access to view her current benefits, download benefit verification letters, and get familiar with the SSA online system. Also, if you haven't already, consider setting up automatic bill pay for your major expenses from a joint account that she has full access to. This can help bridge any gap during the benefit transition period. My mom found it really helpful that dad had set up most bills to auto-pay, so she didn't have to worry about missing payments while dealing with the paperwork and waiting for survivor benefits to kick in.

This is such valuable information everyone is sharing! As someone who works in elder services, I'd like to add that many local Area Agencies on Aging offer free assistance with Social Security applications, including survivor benefits. These counselors are specifically trained to help navigate the SSA system and can often accompany your wife to appointments or help with phone calls if needed. Also worth noting - if your wife has any cognitive issues or finds paperwork overwhelming, she can designate a representative payee or authorize someone to help her with SSA matters using Form SSA-1696. This could be an adult child or trusted family member who could assist with the application process and ongoing management. The key is setting these supports up now while you're both able to make these decisions together, rather than trying to figure it out during a crisis.