Will Social Security survivor benefits be reduced if I file 6 months before my FRA? Ex-spouse in hospice

I'm sorry about your ex-husband's condition. To answer your question: No, filing early for your own retirement benefits does NOT affect your potential survivor benefits. These are completely separate entitlements with different rules. When you receive survivor benefits as a divorced spouse (since you were married more than 10 years and haven't remarried), you'll receive up to 100% of what your ex-husband was receiving IF you claim survivor benefits at your full retirement age or later. If you claim survivor benefits before your FRA, then yes, those would be reduced. But here's the important part: the early filing reduction you're taking now on your retirement benefit has no impact on your future survivor benefit amount.

My mom went threw something similar last year. she filed early at 63 for her retiremint, then when my dad passed she got surviver benefits and they were based on his full amount. The SSA said that the early filing only effects the benefit your claiming early, not the other ones. hope that helps!

The previous responses are mostly correct, but there's one important nuance: if your ex-husband took his benefits early due to his diagnosis, his benefit amount was already reduced. Your survivor benefit would be based on what he was actually receiving (with some possible adjustments), not what he would have received at his FRA. In your specific situation, you have a choice when he passes: 1. Continue with your own reduced retirement benefit 2. Switch to the survivor benefit based on his record Social Security will pay you the higher of the two amounts, not both. Since he started collecting early, you'll need to compare your reduced benefit with what his survivor benefit would provide.

I spent 3 hours on the phone with SSA last month trying to figure out my own survivor situation. If your ex-husband dies, the amount you could get as a survivor is affected by WHEN YOU CLAIM the survivor benefit, not by when you claimed your retirement. But they only let you have one benefit at a time - either your own retirement OR the survivor benefit (whichever is higher). Have you considered delaying your application for your own benefits? Since your ex is in hospice, you might be better off financially waiting until your full retirement age.

I had EXACTLY the same problem trying to reach SSA about my survivor benefits!!! Waited for HOURS and either got disconnected or got someone who gave me completely different information each time!!! SO FRUSTRATING!!!! I finally tried this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that someone in my grief support group recommended. They got me connected to a real SSA person in under 20 minutes! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Totally worth it because I finally got accurate information about my situation.

SSA is a NIGHTMARE to deal with! I've been fighting with them for 18 months over my husband's survivor benefits! They keep sending me letters with completely different information. One rep tells me one thing, another tells me something else. And they wonder why people get frustrated!

To follow up on your question about whether you can withdraw your application: Yes, you can withdraw your Social Security retirement claim within 12 months of first receiving benefits. This is called a "withdrawal of application" (Form SSA-521). However, you must repay all the benefits you've received so far. Once you withdraw, you can reapply later (perhaps after receiving survivor benefits for a while if that's the better strategy). Given your situation with your ex-husband in hospice, it might be worth speaking with an SSA representative about your specific options. They can run calculations based on both your records to help you determine the optimal strategy.

when my aunt died my uncle got more from her SS than his own even tho he already filed. they just switched him to the higher one automatically. maybe theyll do that for you to?

To clarify the earlier discussion about benefit amounts: If your ex-husband passes away, the survivor benefit you'd be eligible for would be subject to the RIB-LIM rule that another commenter mentioned. This rule means that your survivor benefit would be limited to the higher of: 1. The reduced benefit your ex-husband was receiving, or 2. 82.5% of his Primary Insurance Amount (PIA, which is what he would have received at his FRA) This is why it's critical to speak with SSA about your specific case - the calculations are complex and depend on multiple factors including your ex-husband's age when he claimed benefits, his PIA, and when you would claim the survivor benefits. Regarding switching benefits: If your own reduced retirement benefit is less than what your potential survivor benefit would be, SSA will automatically supplement your benefit up to the survivor amount when you apply for survivor benefits after your ex passes away.