Will I get reduced survivor benefits if my husband claimed Social Security early at 62?

This is a common confusion point. The good news is that as a widow/widower, you're entitled to the higher of: (1) what your husband was receiving at death OR (2) 82.5% of his full retirement age benefit. Since you're waiting until age 70, you'll actually get 100% of what he would have received at his full retirement age. His early filing reduction doesn't transfer to you as the survivor. You made a smart choice waiting until 70, as survivor benefits reach their maximum at your full retirement age (which would have been around 66-67 for you).

my condolences on your loss. when my hubby passed i got his full amount even tho he took SS early. they actually gave me choices at the SSA office. dont worry too much about it

Good for you waiting until 70! So many people dont understand that survivor benefits work differently than spousal. You get the HIGHER of what he was receiving OR 82.5% of his PIA (primary insurance amount). Your own benefit maxes out at 70 but survivor benefits max at YOUR full retirement age. You might want to check if your own benefit is actually higher BECAUSE youve waited to 70? Sometimes that ends up being more if you had good earnings.

Everyone here is giving you good information, but I want to clarify one important point. If you are claiming ONLY survivor benefits at age 70, you'll receive 100% of your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is what he would have received at his FRA. His early claiming reduction doesn't affect your survivor benefit. However, you should really explore whether your own retirement benefit might actually be HIGHER at age 70. Since you waited until 70, your own benefit has grown by 8% per year beyond your FRA (delayed retirement credits). Survivor benefits don't get these increases beyond your FRA. Here's what you should do: Call SSA and ask for your PIA (what you'd get at your FRA) and then calculate your age 70 amount (roughly your PIA plus 24-32% depending on your exact FRA). Then compare that to your husband's PIA (not his reduced benefit). Choose whichever is higher.

I went through this exact situation last year!!! The SSA people kept giving me different answers every time I called. So frustrating!!!! I spent WEEKS trying to get through on their 800 number and either got disconnected or was on hold for 2+ hours. FINALLY got the right answer but it took forever.

I see some confusion in previous comments, so let me give you the definitive answer based on SSA rules. As a survivor, because you're claiming at 70 (well past your FRA), you're entitled to the HIGHER of: 1. What your husband was actually receiving when he died ($1,850/month) 2. 100% of your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (his unreduced FRA benefit) Since he took benefits early at 62, his $1,850 was already reduced from his PIA. His PIA was likely somewhere around $2,300-2,500 based on typical reduction factors. So you would receive his full PIA amount, not his reduced amount. However, there's another critical consideration: Your own retirement benefit at 70 has increased by 8% per year beyond your FRA (likely around 32% total). If your earnings were reasonably strong, your age-70 benefit might actually exceed your husband's PIA. If you're having trouble reaching someone at SSA by phone, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com). They help connect you directly to SSA agents without the hours-long hold times. There's a helpful video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU showing how it works. This way you can get your specific benefit amounts and make an informed decision.

I thought that if the person who died took benefits early, then the survivor ALWAYS gets reduced benefits too!! That's what they told my sister after her husband died. Now I'm confused...did they give her wrong information??

this all so confusing!! i just want to add that when you go to ssa office bring EVERYTHING with you - marriage certificate, his death certificate, your ID, his social security card, birth certificates... they always want to see the original documents not copies

I just used that Claimyr service someone mentioned above last week when I was trying to resolve an issue with my RIB application. It worked really well - got through to an agent in about 15 minutes instead of the 3+ hours I spent on my previous attempts. Just wanted to confirm it's legitimate since I was skeptical at first.

ALSO!!! Don't forget you can actually claim BOTH benefits at different times! Some people don't realize you can take survivor benefits at FRA (getting 100% of deceased spouse's PIA) while letting your OWN retirement benefit grow until 70. OR if your own benefit at FRA is higher than survivor, take your retirement at FRA and switch to survivor at 70. Run the numbers both ways!

I'm dealing with a similar situation and want to share what I learned from my SSA appointment last month. The key thing to understand is that survivor benefits are calculated differently than regular retirement benefits. As others have mentioned, you'll get the higher of what your husband was receiving OR his full retirement age benefit amount (PIA). Since you're claiming at 70, you definitely get his full PIA, not his reduced amount. However, I'd strongly encourage you to also get an estimate of YOUR own retirement benefit at age 70 with delayed retirement credits. In my case, my own benefit ended up being about $200/month higher than the survivor benefit because I had worked consistently for 35+ years and the 8% yearly increases from age 67-70 really added up. The SSA representative was able to give me both calculations in one appointment so I could make an informed choice. Don't assume the survivor benefit is automatically better just because his career earnings were higher - those delayed credits can make a significant difference!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Anastasia. I went through something very similar when my wife passed two years ago. She had claimed at 63, and I was terrified I'd be stuck with her reduced amount forever. But everyone here is absolutely right - you'll get her FULL retirement age benefit, not the reduced amount she was receiving. The SSA representative explained it to me like this: think of it as getting access to what your spouse WOULD have received if they had waited until their full retirement age, regardless of when they actually claimed. It's one of the few areas where Social Security actually protects survivors from previous early claiming decisions. You definitely made the smart choice waiting until 70 - just make sure to compare both your survivor benefit and your own age-70 benefit before deciding. In my case, the survivor benefit was higher, but every situation is different. Wishing you all the best with this process.

I'm a financial planner and wanted to add some clarity to help with your decision. You're absolutely correct that your survivor benefit won't be reduced because of your husband's early filing - you'll receive 100% of his Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). However, given that you've waited until 70, there's a very real possibility your own retirement benefit could be higher than the survivor benefit. Here's why: If your husband's reduced benefit was $1,850/month at 62, his PIA was likely around $2,466 (assuming standard reduction factors). Meanwhile, your own benefit has been growing by 8% per year beyond your FRA. If you had a PIA of even $1,900 at your FRA, your age-70 benefit would be around $2,508 - higher than his PIA. As a 32-year nursing career suggests steady earnings, I'd strongly recommend getting your exact PIA calculation before deciding. You can request this through your my Social Security account online or by calling SSA. Don't leave money on the table by assuming the survivor benefit is automatically better - those delayed retirement credits you've earned by waiting until 70 are substantial and might surprise you!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Anastasia. Reading through all these responses, it sounds like you're getting excellent advice from people who really understand how survivor benefits work. I wanted to add one small but important detail that might help when you speak with SSA: make sure to ask specifically about your "unreduced survivor benefit" rather than just "survivor benefit." Sometimes using that exact terminology helps ensure the representative calculates it correctly based on your husband's PIA rather than what he was actually receiving. Also, since you mentioned getting confused answers at your local office, you might want to ask them to show you the calculation on paper so you can see exactly how they arrived at the numbers. That way if there's any discrepancy, you'll have documentation to reference. Best of luck with your decision - it sounds like you've been very thoughtful about waiting until 70 and now you just need those final numbers to make the best choice!

I'm new to this community but wanted to share something that might help with your situation. My mother went through almost the exact same thing two years ago - her husband had claimed at 62, passed away at 68, and she was worried about getting reduced benefits. The SSA office initially told her she'd get his reduced amount, but after we pushed back and asked to speak with a supervisor, they corrected it. She ended up getting his full PIA, not the reduced benefit he was receiving. One thing that really helped us was bringing a printed copy of the SSA publication "Survivors Benefits" (Publication No. 05-10084) to the appointment. It clearly states the rules about survivor benefits not being reduced due to the deceased spouse's early claiming. Sometimes having the official documentation helps ensure you get the correct information. You can download it from the SSA website before your appointment. Also, I'd echo what others have said about comparing your own age-70 benefit. My mom's career was similar to yours (teacher for 30+ years) and she was shocked to discover her own benefit with delayed credits was actually $150 higher than the survivor benefit. Don't assume the survivor benefit is better - those years of waiting until 70 really pay off!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Anastasia. This thread has been incredibly educational - I had no idea that survivor benefits worked differently from regular retirement benefits in terms of early filing penalties. Reading through everyone's experiences and advice, it sounds like you're in a really good position having waited until 70. One thing I wanted to add that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet: if you do decide to go with your own retirement benefit instead of the survivor benefit, you can always switch to survivor benefits later if your circumstances change or if there are any cost-of-living adjustments that might make the survivor benefit more attractive in the future. The choice you make now isn't necessarily permanent for life. Also, I'd recommend creating a my Social Security account online if you haven't already - you can see your benefit estimates there and it might save you some time when you do speak with a representative since you'll have a better idea of your numbers going in. Good luck with your decision, and thank you to everyone who shared their knowledge in this thread!