Will I be stuck with just my low Social Security benefits if my husband dies between his early retirement at 62 and my survivor eligibility at 67?

First, don't feel weird about planning for this - it's actually very prudent. If your husband passes away before you reach your FRA of 67, you absolutely CAN claim survivor benefits before 67. You don't have to wait until your full retirement age. However, there will be a reduction if you claim survivor benefits early. You can claim as early as age 60 (or 50 if disabled), but the earlier you claim, the more the reduction. At age 60, you'd receive about 71.5% of your husband's full benefit amount. The good news is that as a widow, you would have the option to take either your own retirement benefit OR the survivor benefit, and then switch to the other later if it would result in a higher payment. This gives you flexibility that most Social Security claimants don't have. For example, you could take your reduced retirement benefit at 63 as planned, then if your husband unfortunately passes away, you could switch to survivor benefits immediately OR wait until your FRA to get the full survivor amount - whichever makes more financial sense.

my aunt was in this EXACT situation last year!!! her husband died at 64 and she was only 61... she got survivors benefits right away but they reduced them cuz she was under her fra. but still wayyy more than her own ss check would have been! she said the ssa office was actually pretty helpful once she finally got someone on the phone. took like 2 weeks of calling tho ugh

Your survivor benefit would be based on what your husband would have received if he had reached full retirement age, not his reduced age-62 benefit. This is because SSA applies a special rule for widows/widowers called the "widow's limit" or RIB-LIM rule. Basically, if your husband claims early at 62 and later passes away, your survivor benefit would be limited to the HIGHER of: 1. The benefit your husband was actually receiving at death (reduced for his early claim) 2. 82.5% of his full retirement age benefit So you'd get at least 82.5% of his full benefit, regardless of how early he claimed. And yes, you would be able to switch from your own benefit to the survivor benefit at any point after his passing if it would result in a higher payment - even before 67. As a widow, you maintain the right to switch between benefit types at any age after becoming eligible for both.

You guys are missing something IMPORTANT here!!! The survivor benefit IS reduced if YOU take it early! It doesn't matter if HE took benefits early. There's two separate reductions. If he takes benefits early, that reduces what he gets. But if YOU take survivor benefits before YOUR full retirement age, those get reduced AGAIN!! This happened to my sister and she was SHOCKED at how little she got because she didn't understand the double reduction. SSA doesn't explain this clearly!! 😡

My husband took SS at 62 and when he died I was 63. I got a check for $255 (funeral benefit or something) and then had to apply for the survivor benefit. I got about 80% of what he would've gotten at full retirement. It was way better than my own benefit, so I switched right away. Don't wait till 67! You can switch anytime after he passes if its higher than your own.

I work with SS retirement planning, and there's an important strategy worth considering here. Since you have the option to choose between benefits OR switch between them, you might consider: 1. Taking your reduced retirement benefit at 63 as planned 2. If your husband passes away before you reach your FRA, evaluate whether to: a) Switch immediately to survivor benefits (if the reduced survivor amount is higher than your own benefit) b) Continue receiving your own benefit and then switch to the unreduced survivor benefit at your FRA of 67 Remember that survivor benefits reach their maximum at your FRA (unlike retirement benefits which max at 70). So sometimes the optimal strategy is to take your own reduced benefit early, then switch to the unreduced survivor benefit at your FRA. Also, keep in mind that when you're receiving your own benefit, you can still work without losing benefits once you reach FRA (though before FRA there are earnings limits).

I spent literally DAYS trying to get through to SS on the phone last year when my husband passed. Kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. I finally tried a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real person at SS in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I got through, the agent was actually really helpful explaining my survivor benefit options. Turns out I could take the survivor benefit immediately at 62 (reduced amount) or wait until my FRA for the full amount. I decided to take it right away since it was still significantly more than my own benefit would have been.

WHY IS THIS SYSTEM SO COMPLICATED???!! My dad worked for 45 years and my mom can barely figure out what she's entitled to now that he's gone. It shouldn't take a PhD to understand our benefits that we PAID FOR our whole lives!!! And good luck trying to call them - you'll die of old age before someone picks up! 😤

wait i just remembered something else important my aunt told me! if your getting the spousal benefit as a top-up on your own benefit, and then your husband passes away, you CANT get both the spousal AND the survivor benefit. you have to pick one. she said lots of people don't know this and expect to get both

Thank you all so much for this information! I'm feeling much more prepared now. Let me see if I understand the key points correctly: 1. If my husband passes away, I CAN claim survivor benefits before my FRA of 67, but they'll be reduced if I claim early 2. His early claiming at 62 won't fully reduce my survivor benefits due to the RIB-LIM rule (I'll get at least 82.5% of his FRA benefit) 3. I have flexibility to switch between my own benefit and survivor benefits at any point after he passes 4. If he passes away early, I could potentially take my reduced retirement benefit at 63 as planned, then switch to the unreduced survivor benefit at my FRA of 67 This is all so much more reassuring than what I feared. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to help me understand this complicated system!

This is such a thoughtful discussion! As someone who's been through the Social Security maze myself, I wanted to add one more important consideration for your planning. If you do end up needing to claim survivor benefits, make sure to ask SSA about any cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) that might apply. Sometimes people don't realize that survivor benefits continue to receive annual COLA increases, which can make a significant difference over time. Also, I'd strongly recommend documenting your husband's work history and benefit estimates now while he's healthy. Having his Social Security Statement and any pension information organized will make things much easier if you ever need to navigate the claims process during what would already be a difficult time. You're doing exactly the right thing by planning ahead - it shows real wisdom and care for your family's financial security. Don't feel morbid about it at all!

I wanted to add something that might be relevant to your situation - if your husband has any military service or government employment, there could be additional survivor benefits available that work alongside Social Security. For example, if he has any federal employment where he paid into FERS (Federal Employee Retirement System), there would be a separate survivor annuity that could provide additional monthly income. Similarly, veterans' survivors may be eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) from the VA, which is separate from Social Security. These benefits don't reduce your Social Security survivor benefits - you can receive both simultaneously. Given that your husband works in construction, he may have union pension benefits with survivor options as well. It's worth reviewing all retirement accounts and pensions now to understand what survivor benefits they offer. Also, don't forget about any life insurance policies through his employer or that you've purchased independently. While not ongoing monthly income like Social Security, these can provide crucial financial breathing room during the transition period.

I'm so glad you asked this question because it's something many couples don't think about until it's too late! You're absolutely being smart and responsible by planning ahead. One thing I wanted to add that I don't think has been mentioned yet - if your husband passes away and you're receiving survivor benefits, you should know that the earnings test works differently for survivors than it does for regular retirement benefits. If you're under your full retirement age and working while receiving survivor benefits, the earnings limit is higher than the regular retirement earnings limit ($22,320 for 2024 vs $19,560 for regular retirement benefits). Also, here's something that might give you even more peace of mind: even if you claim your own retirement benefit at 63 as planned, and then your husband passes away later, you can potentially "restart" at a higher survivor benefit amount. The flexibility survivors have in the Social Security system is actually one of the few areas where the rules work in your favor. You mentioned your husband's construction work is physically demanding - many people in similar situations find that claiming at 62 was the right choice for their health and quality of life. The financial calculations are important, but so is being able to enjoy retirement while you're both healthy enough to do so.