Will delaying my SS until 70 increase my wife's survivor benefits if I die?

Yes, delaying your benefits until 70 WILL increase your wife's survivor benefits if you pass away first. She would receive the actual higher amount you were receiving at the time of your death (or were entitled to receive if you hadn't started benefits yet). This is actually one of the strongest reasons many financial advisors recommend the higher-earning spouse delay claiming until 70 - it creates a higher survivor benefit for the remaining spouse. Since women typically outlive men, your plan makes good financial sense for your wife's long-term security. Just make sure you're both clear on how her own retirement benefits interact with survivor benefits. When you pass, she'll get either her own retirement benefit OR your benefit amount (whichever is higher), not both added together.

my uncle tried this and it didn't work out. his wife only got what he would've got at fra. maybe the rules changed tho? this was like 10 years ago

When my husband died three years ago, Social Security automatically switched me to his higher benefit which was more than mine. He had delayed until 69 and yes I got his full enhanced amount. There was some paperwork though and I had to bring his death certificate to the SSA office. I think your strategy is smart. I'm thankful everyday my husband waited to claim his benefits - it's made a big difference in my financial security.

Isn't there something called a surviving spouse limit tho? My neighbor said something about a family maximum?

i waited till 70 to claim and died 2 months later, what a waste!!!! 🤦‍♂️ oh wait im still alive lol. but seriously, no one knows when their time is up. just something to think about.

Have you tried contacting SSA directly to get an official answer? Their phone lines are completely overwhelmed lately, but I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual SSA agent in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU I'd recommend calling and asking specifically about your survivor benefit calculation. Make sure you have both your and your wife's estimated benefit amounts from your my Social Security accounts when you call. The agent can pull up your specific numbers and give you personalized advice about your situation that will be more accurate than our best guesses here.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - if your wife claims her OWN benefits BEFORE her full retirement age, and then later needs to claim survivor benefits, there could be REDUCTION FACTORS applied to her survivor benefit. This gets complicated FAST because it depends on her exact age when claiming each type! But if she waits until her FRA to claim her own benefits as planned, this won't be an issue for survivor benefits later.

This is actually a really common question, not basic at all. The survivor benefit rules are super confusing.

Thank you everyone for the helpful information! I feel much more confident now in our decision to have me delay until 70 while my wife claims at her FRA. It's a relief to know this strategy will provide her with more financial security if I predecease her (which statistics suggest is likely). I appreciate all the real-world experiences shared too.

You're making a smart decision! Just wanted to add one more consideration - make sure you both stay healthy and keep up with preventive care during these waiting years. The strategy works great if you live to enjoy those higher benefits, but having good health insurance and taking care of yourselves is crucial to making this plan successful. Also, consider doing a yearly review of your Social Security statements to make sure your earnings are being recorded correctly, since your benefit calculations are based on your highest 35 years of earnings.

As someone who's been through the Social Security maze myself, I can confirm what others have said - your strategy is sound! When my father passed away at 72 (he had delayed until 70), my mother received his full enhanced benefit amount, not what he would have gotten at FRA. One additional tip: consider having your wife create her own my Social Security account online if she hasn't already. This will help her track her own benefit estimates and make it easier to handle the paperwork when the time comes. Also, keep good records of both your earnings histories - sometimes there are errors that can affect your benefit calculations. The peace of mind knowing you're maximizing both your immediate retirement income AND your wife's long-term financial security is worth the wait. You're doing the right thing by planning ahead like this!

As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to say how helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm in a similar situation to the original poster - my husband is 64 and I'm 62, and we've been wrestling with the same questions about timing our Social Security claims. Reading through all these responses, especially the real-life experiences from people like Josef, Charity, and Carmen who've actually been through this process, has been incredibly valuable. It's one thing to read about the rules online, but hearing from people who've lived through it makes such a difference. I'm particularly grateful for the practical tips about setting up my Social Security accounts, keeping track of earnings records, and the reminder about reporting deaths within 30 days. These are the kinds of details you don't always think about when you're just looking at the big picture strategy. Thank you all for creating such a supportive space where people can ask these important questions without feeling judged. The Social Security system really is confusing, and it's comforting to know there are knowledgeable people willing to share their experiences and help others navigate these crucial decisions.

As someone new to this community and Social Security planning, I want to echo what others have said about how valuable this discussion has been! I'm 59 and my wife is 57, so we're a few years behind you but facing the same strategic decisions. What really stands out to me from reading through all these responses is how the real-life experiences completely validate the strategy you're considering. It's one thing to read about delayed retirement credits and survivor benefits in official SSA publications, but hearing from Josef, Charity, and Carmen who actually received those enhanced survivor benefits makes it feel much more concrete. I'm also impressed by how many practical details came up that I hadn't considered - like the 30-day reporting requirement, the potential 6-week processing time, and the importance of keeping earnings records accurate. These are the kinds of specifics that can make a real difference when the time comes. Your approach of maximizing benefits for both you AND your wife's long-term security seems spot-on based on everything shared here. Thanks for asking this question - it's helped me think through our own planning much more clearly!

As someone new to this community and Social Security planning, I have to say this thread has been incredibly educational! I'm 60 and my husband is 62, so we're right in the thick of making these same decisions. What strikes me most is how consistent all the real-world experiences have been - everyone who's actually gone through the survivor benefit process confirms that yes, you do get the enhanced amount from delaying to 70, not just the FRA amount. That kind of consistency across multiple personal stories really builds confidence in the strategy. I'm particularly grateful for all the practical tips that emerged from this discussion - setting up the my Social Security accounts, the Claimyr service for getting through to SSA, keeping track of earnings records, and understanding the timelines involved. These are exactly the kinds of details you need to know but might not think to ask about. Your approach of optimizing for both your immediate retirement and your wife's long-term financial security seems very sound based on everything shared here. Thank you for asking this question - it's helped so many of us think through our own planning more thoroughly!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for such a thorough and reassuring discussion! I'm 58 and my spouse is 61, so we're just starting to seriously consider our Social Security timing strategy, and this thread has been incredibly valuable. What really stands out to me is how all the personal experiences shared here - from Josef, Charity, Carmen, and others - consistently confirm that the survivor benefit strategy actually works as intended. Reading about delayed retirement credits in SSA materials is one thing, but hearing from people who've actually received those enhanced survivor benefits removes so much uncertainty. I'm also taking notes on all the practical advice that came up organically through this discussion - the importance of accurate earnings records, the my Social Security account setup, the reporting timelines, and even the Claimyr service for reaching SSA. These are exactly the kinds of real-world insights you can't find in official publications. Your strategy of maximizing benefits for both your immediate needs and your wife's long-term security seems very well-thought-out based on all the evidence shared here. Thank you for asking this question - it's helped many of us newcomers gain clarity on our own planning!

As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to add my voice to say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm 59 and my husband is 65, so we're right in the middle of making these exact same decisions about Social Security timing. What really gives me confidence is seeing so many consistent real-world experiences from people like Josef, Charity, and Carmen who actually went through the survivor benefit process and confirmed they received the full enhanced amounts from delayed claiming, not just the FRA amounts. That kind of firsthand validation is worth so much more than just reading the official SSA rules. I'm also grateful for all the practical insights that came up throughout this thread - the my Social Security account setup, the Claimyr service for reaching SSA, keeping earnings records accurate, and understanding the various timelines involved. These are exactly the kinds of details you need to know but might not think to ask about upfront. Your strategy of optimizing for both your retirement income AND your wife's long-term financial security seems very sound based on all the evidence shared here. Thank you for starting this discussion - it's helped so many of us feel more confident about our own planning decisions!

As a newcomer to this community, I have to say this discussion has been absolutely invaluable! I'm 62 and my wife is 60, so we're just beginning to seriously consider our Social Security claiming strategy, and this thread has provided so much clarity. What really gives me confidence is seeing the consistent real-world experiences from Josef, Charity, and Carmen who actually received those enhanced survivor benefits after their spouses delayed claiming until 70. Having that firsthand confirmation that the system works as intended removes so much of the uncertainty I was feeling about this strategy. I'm also incredibly grateful for all the practical tips that emerged naturally throughout this conversation - the Claimyr service for reaching SSA, setting up my Social Security accounts, keeping earnings records accurate, and understanding the various timelines involved. These are exactly the kinds of insider details you can't find in official publications but are so crucial for successful planning. Your approach of maximizing both your immediate retirement benefits AND your wife's long-term financial security through survivor benefits seems very well-founded based on all the evidence shared here. Thank you for asking this important question - it's helped many of us newcomers feel much more confident about our own Social Security planning decisions!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for such an incredibly thorough and informative discussion! I'm 61 and my husband is 64, so we're right in the middle of making these exact same Social Security timing decisions. What really strikes me most is how all the real-world experiences shared here - from Josef, Charity, Carmen, and others - consistently confirm that survivor benefits DO include the enhanced amounts from delaying to 70. Reading the official SSA materials left me with some uncertainty, but hearing from people who actually went through this process and received those higher survivor benefits removes all doubt about the strategy. I'm also taking detailed notes on all the practical advice that emerged throughout this thread - the Claimyr service for actually getting through to SSA, setting up my Social Security accounts to track our benefits, the importance of keeping earnings records accurate, and understanding timelines like the 30-day reporting requirement and 6-week processing period. These real-world details are exactly what you need to know but rarely find in official publications. Your strategy of optimizing for both your immediate retirement income AND your wife's long-term financial security through maximized survivor benefits seems very sound based on all the evidence presented here. Thank you for asking this crucial question - it's helped so many of us newcomers gain confidence in our own Social Security planning decisions!