Will SS mail an award letter when switching from retirement to survivor benefits at FRA?

Yes, you will absolutely receive an award letter in the mail when you switch from retirement to survivor benefits. The letter typically arrives 2-3 weeks before your first payment at the new amount. It will confirm your monthly benefit amount and effective date. Regarding the discrepancy between what the phone rep told you versus what the in-person claims specialist said - this happens sometimes. The final calculation isn't officially done until right before you reach FRA, so the earlier estimate might have been preliminary. When you get your award letter, that amount will be official.

I went thru this EXACT same thing last year!!!! Switched from my benefits to my husbands when I hit FRA. Got SO MANY different answers from SSA people it made my head spin. One phone person said I'd get $2900, office guy said $2650, another phone lady wouldn't even give me a number!!! YES you will get a letter but mine came only 8 DAYS before my first payment not 2-3 weeks. And guess what? The amount was different from EVERY estimate they gave me!!! Ended up being $2835. They don't seem to know what there doing half the time!!!

they mailed me one when i switched but it took forever to arrive almost thought they forgot lol

The online account issue you're having is actually quite common. The MySocialSecurity account system is notorious for these kinds of login problems. Since you're dealing with both that AND waiting for an important benefit switch, I'd strongly recommend calling SSA directly to: 1) Verify your mailing address is correct in their system so you receive the award letter without delay, and 2) Get help resolving your online access issue. I've found that reaching SSA by phone can be extremely difficult with wait times often exceeding 2 hours. Many people have success using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through much faster. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Regarding the award letter itself - yes, you will receive one, and it's an important document to keep. It will show your new benefit amount, the calculation method they used, and the effective date. If there's any discrepancy between what you were told and what appears on the letter, you'll have 60 days to request a reconsideration.

I'm confused about something in your post. You mentioned switching from your benefits to your "late husband's" but then in a later comment you mentioned your "deceased wife's survivor benefits." Which is it? The rules are the same either way, but it makes me wonder if you're getting accurate information if there's confusion about your basic situation.

When I hit FRA last year they did send me a letter but it didnt make any sense!!! Had all these calculations and jargon about PIA and COLA adjustments nobody could understand. Called SSA 3 times and got 3 different explanations! Finally my daughter who works for an attorney helped me figure it out. Just warning you those letters are confusing as heck.

My switch happened in September. Got letter 3 weeks later. No problems at all. Actually got $43 more monthly than they first told me!

btw if your having so much truble with the online account why dont u just call them?

Something important to note about the survivor benefit calculation: When you switch at exactly FRA, you should receive 100% of your deceased spouse's benefit amount (or your own, whichever is higher). However, if your spouse took benefits early (before their FRA), there's a special calculation called the RIB-LIM rule that might limit your survivor benefit. This might explain why you're getting different amounts from different SSA representatives - some might be considering this limitation while others aren't. The award letter will use the correct calculation method, but if you believe there's an error, you have appeal rights.

I had to switch from my retirement to my husband's survivor benefits last year. Yes, you will get an award letter in the mail explaining everything, including how they calculated the benefit. In my experience, they sent it about 3 weeks before my first payment at the new amount. Regarding your online account issues - I had similar problems. I found that using a completely different email address to create a brand new account worked better than trying to recover the old one. Might be worth trying.

The REAL problem is they got 3 diff computer systems that dont talk to each other!!! The phone ppl use one system, the office people use another, and the payment department uses a completly different one!!! My son works in IT and says its a DISASTER how SSA runs there technology. No wonder we get different answers from everyone!!

To follow up on the questions about RIB-LIM calculations: When your spouse claimed benefits early, the RIB-LIM formula may apply to your survivor benefits. Essentially, your survivor benefit will be limited to the higher of: 1. The benefit your spouse was receiving at death, or 2. 82.5% of your spouse's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) This can be confusing because some SSA representatives might quote you the full PIA amount, while others might be applying the RIB-LIM reduction. The award letter will show the final calculation method used. If you want to get a clearer picture before the letter arrives, I recommend asking specifically about whether the RIB-LIM rule applies in your case when you next speak with an SSA representative.