Will Social Security survivor benefits be based on my reduced or full retirement age amount?

If your husband passes away, you would get the higher of either your own benefit or his full benefit amount - not a combination of both. So in your example, you would receive his $2,850 payment, which would replace your smaller payment. Your own early claiming decision doesn't affect your survivor benefit amount in this case since his benefit is higher than your FRA amount would have been anyway.

my aunt got widowed last yr and she gets her husbands full amount now. she started her own benefits at 63 but now gets his instead because it was bigger. they dont add them up or anything

The previous responses are correct, but I'll add a bit more detail. As a widow, you would receive the higher of: 1. Your own benefit amount (whether reduced for early filing or not) 2. Your deceased husband's actual benefit amount You don't receive both, and they don't calculate any "difference" between the two. It's simply whichever amount is higher. In your case, since your husband's benefit ($2,850) is higher than both your reduced amount ($1,720) and your FRA amount ($2,310), you would receive $2,850 as a widow. This is why sometimes it makes financial sense for the lower-earning spouse to claim early - the early filing reduction won't matter for survivor benefits if the deceased spouse's benefit is higher anyway. Just make sure you understand any potential implications for your current household income if you both are living on these benefits together now.

BE CAREFUL!! There's a HUGE TRAP that the SSA doesn't tell you about!!! If you claim YOUR OWN benefit early and your husband dies BEFORE you reach your own FRA, they will REDUCE your survivor benefits!!! The SSA website HIDES this information and the representatives LIE about it! I learned this the HARD WAY when my husband died last year and they cut my expected survivor amount by 4.75%!!! DON'T TRUST THEM!!!

I went through exactly this when planning my retirement. My advice based on my experience: 1. Get an appointment with SSA to discuss your specific situation. Their phone lines are always jammed, but I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through quickly. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU 2. Ask specifically about the "widow(er)'s limit" - this is important and sometimes representatives don't mention it unless asked directly. 3. Get any advice in writing if possible, or at least take detailed notes with the representative's name. When I spoke with SSA, they confirmed that in a situation like yours, you would receive your husband's full benefit amount as a survivor, and your early claiming decision wouldn't impact that specific scenario. But there are other factors that could apply to your unique situation that might be worth discussing with them directly.

my mother in law took her ss at 62 and when my father in law died she got his full benefit which was alot more. so ur early filing doesnt matter if his benefit is bigger anyway. but she had to go to the ssa office with his death certificate to switch over to the survivor benefit it doesnt happen automatically

dont u also get a one time death benefit of like $250 when ur spouse dies? not much but its something

This stuff always confuses me...so many rules! im gonna have to start thinking about all this soon too...

One additional point I think is worth mentioning: Even though your early filing won't affect your survivor benefits in this particular case (since your husband's benefit is higher than your FRA amount), there is a general benefit to having the higher-earning spouse delay claiming as long as possible (even past FRA to age 70) if longevity is expected. This maximizes the survivor benefit for whichever spouse lives longer. However, since your husband already claimed at his FRA and not at 70, this particular strategy isn't relevant to your current situation. Just wanted to mention it for others reading who might still be planning their claiming strategy as a couple.