Widow survivor benefits - confused about FRA vs. PIA when ex-spouse claimed SS early

So sorry for your loss. I don't know the answer, but I had to deal with survivor benefits when my husband died last year and the whole process was SUPER confusing. The SSA people told me different things each time I called. Just be prepared to be patient and maybe keep a notebook of who you talk to.

I can help clarify this. If you wait until your full retirement age (67), you would receive the higher of: 1. The amount your ex-husband was receiving at the time of his death 2. 82.5% of his Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) Since he claimed at 62, his benefit was permanently reduced to approximately 70% of his PIA. Because he was receiving benefits for 6 years and reached 68, there would be no further adjustments to his amount. By waiting until your FRA, you avoid any reduction to your survivor benefit. The fact that he claimed early does impact the amount you can receive, but waiting until your FRA ensures you get the maximum available to you as a surviving divorced spouse.

My cousin went thru this last yr she said it depends on if hes been getting the SS for more than 3 years or somethng. Dont think your supposed to know what his PIA is tho thats private info.

Sorry about your ex. When my husband died I went to the SS office with his death certificate and they just told me what I would get. Didn't have to figure anything out myself thank goodness because I was a mess at the time. They did all the calculations. Just bring your marriage certificate and divorce papers too since you were divorced.

I've been through this exact situation recently, and I can save you a lot of headache. Trying to get through to SSA by phone was absolutely impossible - I kept getting disconnected after waiting for hours. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real SSA agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. The agent explained everything about my survivor benefits and even helped me apply right on the call. For your specific question - the agent told me that since my ex claimed early, my survivor benefit was based on what he was actually receiving (with a small adjustment), not his full PIA. But definitely have SSA confirm your specific situation.

had similar situation when my brother died. his wife got more because he claimed benefits early! lot of people don't know this but sometimes the reduction for claiming early doesn't carry over the same way for survivors. depends on your birthdate and his PIA calculations. weird system.

Let me clarify a few technical points about survivor benefits for ex-spouses, since there's some confusion in the responses: 1. The limit on survivor benefits is the higher of: what the deceased was receiving OR 82.5% of the deceased's PIA if they died before their FRA. Since your ex was past his FRA (66 for his age cohort), this special provision likely doesn't apply. 2. When you claim survivor benefits affects YOUR reduction amount. At your FRA (67), you get 100% of the survivor benefit you're entitled to. If you claim before your FRA, your survivor benefit is reduced. 3. For divorced spouse survivors, you must have been married at least 10 years, and if you've remarried, that marriage must have occurred after age 60 to be eligible. 4. The fact that you already claimed your own retirement benefit doesn't prevent you from getting the excess survivor benefit if the survivor amount is higher. 5. Your survivor benefit amount would be the difference between your current benefit and the higher survivor benefit amount you're entitled to. I recommend scheduling an appointment with SSA to get the exact calculations for your specific situation.

Just wanted to add that if your own benefit is higher than the survivor benefit you'd get from your ex-husband's record, you wouldn't receive any survivor benefits. SSA gives you the higher of the two, not both combined. Worth checking both scenarios.

WAIT!! There's something nobody mentioned - I think there's a LUMP SUM DEATH PAYMENT of $255 you should get regardless of the monthly benefit stuff. Don't forget to ask about that!!!