Widow benefits at 56 - Can I collect my late husband's Social Security at 60?

I'm so sorry for your loss. You're correct that as a widow, you can claim survivor benefits as early as age 60 (or age 50 if disabled). However, there are a few important things you should know: 1. If you claim at age 60, you'll receive about 71.5% of your husband's full retirement benefit (what he would have received at his full retirement age). 2. Waiting until your own full retirement age (probably 67) would give you 100% of his benefit. 3. Since you're working, be aware of the earnings limit if you claim before your FRA. In 2025, if you earn more than about $22,320, your benefits will be reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn above that limit. 4. If you remarry before age 60, you generally cannot receive widow's benefits. If you remarry after 60, you can still receive benefits based on your deceased husband's record. 5. Eventually, you'll need to decide whether to take your own retirement benefit or the survivor benefit, depending on which is higher.

my cousin went thru this a few yrs ago and she got nothing til 60. cant get remarried if u want his benefits!!!! also the SS office was IMPOSSIBLE to reach when she had questions. took her like 2 weeks of calling

I experienced a similar situation when my husband passed 3 years ago. The SSA won't give you survivor benefits until 60 unless you have minor children or are disabled. However, you should still contact them NOW to make sure they have record of your husband's death and that you're linked as his widow in their system. One thing nobody told me - if you think your own SS benefit at retirement might be higher than your widow benefit, you have options. You can take the reduced widow benefit at 60, then switch to your own (unreduced) benefit at your FRA. Also, I had TERRIBLE time reaching anyone at Social Security to help with my questions. After getting disconnected 8 times, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me days of frustration.

The previous responses are generally correct, but I'd like to add a few technical points that might help you plan: 1. The exact reduction for claiming survivor benefits at 60 is actually 28.5%, so you get 71.5% of your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). 2. You might be eligible for a one-time death benefit of $255, though it's small. 3. If your husband had enough work credits (40 quarters), and if his benefit would be higher than yours, it often makes financial sense to take your own reduced retirement benefit at 62 and then switch to the full survivor benefit at your FRA. 4. Alternatively, take the reduced survivor benefit at 60 and switch to your own benefit at 70 if your benefit with delayed retirement credits would be higher. Since you mentioned working part-time, carefully calculate how the earnings test might affect your benefits if you claim before FRA. The reduction from working isn't permanent - you get the money back after reaching FRA.

No, your neighbor is mistaken or misunderstood something. You can't receive both your own retirement benefit AND a full survivor benefit simultaneously. You can only receive the higher of the two amounts (with some strategic filing exceptions). She might be confusing a pension payment with Social Security, or perhaps she's referring to receiving her own retirement benefit plus a partial excess survivor benefit if her husband's benefit was higher than hers.

The whole SS survivor system is RIDICULOUS!!! Why should you have to wait until 60 when you're dealing with the loss of income NOW?? My sister lost her husband at 57 and had to sell their house and move in with her daughter because she couldn't get his benefits for 3 years. Meanwhile Congress keeps taking money from the SS trust fund. The whole system is BROKEN!!!

Thank you all for the helpful responses. I've learned a lot about my options. I do have a small life insurance policy that will help for now, and I'm going to see if I can increase my work hours for the next few years. I'll definitely contact SSA soon to make sure I'm in their system correctly as my husband's widow. And I'm going to start looking into the strategy of taking survivor benefits at 60 vs. waiting for a higher amount at my FRA. When the time comes, I'll check out that Claimyr service to get through to a real person at SSA. Thanks again everyone for sharing your knowledge and personal experiences - it's been really helpful during this difficult time.