Widow's benefit confusion - why isn't my mom getting my dad's full Social Security amount?

The information you're reading online isn't exactly accurate. A widow doesn't automatically get her husband's full amount. What she gets depends on when she starts taking survivor benefits and if she's already collecting her own retirement. If your mom is already getting her own retirement, she'll receive the higher of either her own benefit or the survivor benefit, not both combined.

I can explain this better! What your mom is experiencing is completely normal. When a widow is already receiving their own retirement benefit, they don't just switch over to their deceased spouse's full amount. Instead, SSA gives them what's called a "top up" to bring their benefit up to a certain percentage (generally 100% if she's at FRA) of what the deceased was receiving. But there's an important technical detail - the top up is based on the Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), not necessarily the exact amount your dad was receiving. If your dad delayed claiming beyond his FRA, he would have received delayed retirement credits that unfortunately don't fully transfer to your mom's survivor benefit in the same way. This is a very common misconception about survivor benefits that frustrates many families.

Im going thru the same thing!!! My husband passed in Janurary and I was already collecting SS since I turned 66 in 2023. His check was $3100 and mine was only $1500. The SSA person said I would get his full amount but when I got the first payment after he died it was only $2600!! I called and the rep said something about "maximum family benefit" and that I can't get his full amount because of some calculation I don't understand. Been trying to call back every day for 2 weeks for someone to explain it better but I NEVER get through!!!!

Let me explain what's happening in technical terms. Your mother should receive the higher of either: 1. Her own retirement benefit 2. A survivor benefit, which is up to 100% of your father's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) The key here is understanding that the PIA is the benefit amount your father would have received at his FRA, NOT including any delayed retirement credits he earned by waiting past FRA to claim. For example, if your father's PIA was $2,320 (the benefit at his FRA), but he received $2,900 because he delayed claiming, your mother's survivor benefit would be based on the $2,320 amount. This is why she's receiving $2,320 instead of $2,900. It's not a mistake - it's how the survivor benefit calculations work.

This happened with my aunt after my uncle died last year. She kept insisting that Social Security made a mistake because she wasn't getting his exact amount. Turned out she was on her own benefit already and only got the difference. There's so much confusion about this! I think the SSA should send out better explanations with their letters.

Thank you all so much for your helpful replies! I think I understand now - mom is getting dad's Primary Insurance Amount but not the extra he got for delaying past FRA. Still seems unfair but at least I know SSA didn't make a mistake. I'll explain this to mom so she can adjust her budget accordingly. Really appreciate everyone's insights!

As others have explained, your mother's benefit is correct. Here's a more detailed breakdown of why the benefit is calculated this way: * Your father's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA): $2,320 (estimated based on your post) * Your father's actual benefit with delayed credits: $2,900 * Your mother's own retirement benefit: $1,700 Since your mother was already at FRA when your father passed away, she's entitled to 100% of his PIA as a survivor benefit. SSA then compares her own benefit ($1,700) to the survivor benefit ($2,320) and pays her the higher amount. Unfortunately, most people misunderstand this calculation. I hope this clarifies why she's receiving $2,320 instead of $2,900.