Will my SS widow benefit percentage change if I take my own benefits at 65 and husband on SSDI passes away later?
I'm so confused about how my widow benefits will work with my retirement timeline. I'm planning to claim my own Social Security retirement at 65 (in 2025). My husband is currently receiving SSDI and is 3 years older than me. My big question is: If I take my own benefits at 65, does that lock in the percentage I'd get for widow's benefits if he passes away later? I know that if I'm at my full retirement age (67) when he passes, I'd get 100% of his benefit if I switch from my SS to widow benefits. But what happens if I've already taken my own benefits early at 65 and then he passes away a year later? What percentage would I get then? I have a widow matrix sheet from the SSA office that seems to indicate the month/year I file for my own benefits creates some kind of "lock in rate" regardless of whether my husband is still alive or has passed. My own benefit will be much less than what I'd get as a widow, so I need to make sure I understand how this works. Can anyone explain how this timing affects my future widow's benefits?
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Liam O'Connor
There's a lot of confusion about how widow benefits work! First, taking your own retirement benefits at 65 does NOT lock in your widow's benefit percentage. The widow benefit percentage is based on YOUR age when you apply for widow benefits, not when you apply for your own retirement. If your husband passes away and you're already receiving your own benefits, you can switch to widow benefits immediately if they're higher. The percentage you'll receive depends on YOUR age when you switch: - At your FRA (67): 100% of his benefit - At 65: approximately 91.9% of his benefit The SSA will pay you the higher of either your own benefit or the reduced widow benefit. The widow matrix shows what percentage you'd get based on your age at the time you apply for widow benefits, not when you take your own retirement.
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CosmicCadet
•Thank you for explaining! So if I understand correctly, if I take my benefits at 65 and my husband passes away when I'm 66, I would get around 95% of his benefit if I immediately applied for widow benefits? The person at the Social Security office made it sound like my initial filing date somehow affected my widow percentage even years later.
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Amara Adeyemi
i went thru this same thing when my wife passed!!!! the ssa people tell you different things everytime you call them. one day they say this next week they say something else. its so frustrating
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CosmicCadet
•That's exactly what I'm afraid of! Did you eventually figure out the right information? Did you have to talk to a supervisor or something to get consistent answers?
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Giovanni Gallo
I'm a retired financial planner who specialized in Social Security strategies. Let me clear this up: 1. Your retirement benefit application and widow benefit percentage are COMPLETELY SEPARATE. 2. The percentage of your husband's benefit that you'll receive as a widow is ONLY based on YOUR age when you apply for widow benefits: - Age 60: 71.5% - Age 65: 91.9% - Age 67 (your FRA): 100% 3. The "widow matrix" shows the percentage based on your age at widowhood application, not your original retirement application. 4. If your husband passes away, you have the option to switch to widow benefits at any point if they'd be higher than your own. 5. Your best strategy might be to take your own reduced retirement benefit at 65, then switch to widow benefits when he passes away. The reduction to your own benefit has NO EFFECT on your widow benefit calculation. Hope this helps clarify things!
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CosmicCadet
•This is so helpful, thank you! So even though I'm taking my own benefits at 65 (reduced from my FRA amount), that reduction doesn't transfer to my widow's benefit calculation? That's a relief! The rep at SSA made it sound like whatever percentage I lock in at application would apply to everything.
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Fatima Al-Mazrouei
my mom just went through this last year when dad died. she had already been getting her ss for 3 years. what happened was they just switch her to dad's higher benefit but they did reduce it a little because she wasn't at full retirement age yet. it was pretty simple actually. hope that helps
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Dylan Wright
The SSA is DELIBERATELY confusing people on this!!! I tried for MONTHS to get a straight answer about widow benefits and kept getting different information. The truth is they DON'T want you to understand because they don't want to pay out the maximum! I finally had to hire an advocate to help me navigate the system after my husband died because I was getting NOWHERE with the regular customer service people. My advice? DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Get names of who you talk to. Ask for written explanations. Don't trust what they tell you verbally because they'll claim they never said it later!!!
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CosmicCadet
•That's so frustrating! I hope it doesn't come to having to hire someone, but I'll definitely start documenting all my conversations with SSA. Did you eventually get the correct benefits?
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Dylan Wright
•Yes, I eventually got what I was entitled to, but it took MONTHS of fighting and they initially denied my claim for the higher amount. It's like they hope you'll just give up. I had to file a formal appeal and only then did they fix it.
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NebulaKnight
I had a really hard time reaching SSA to sort out a similar widow benefit question last year. After being on hold for 3+ hours multiple times and getting disconnected, I tried this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that a friend recommended. They got me connected to an actual SSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I finally talked to the right person at SSA, they confirmed exactly what others are saying here - your widow benefit percentage is based on your age when you APPLY for widow benefits, not when you take your own retirement. The person I spoke with said this is one of the most misunderstood aspects of Social Security.
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CosmicCadet
•Thank you for the tip about Claimyr! I've been dreading having to call SSA again because the wait times are so long. I'll check them out if I need to make another call. I really want to speak to someone knowledgeable about this specific situation.
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Sofia Ramirez
wait so im confused does this mean if ur husband dies before u file for any benefits u can just wait until ur 67 and get the full 100% of his benefit? or do u have to file for widow benefits right away when they die?
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Giovanni Gallo
•You don't have to file for widow benefits immediately when your spouse passes away. You can choose to file at any age between 60 and your FRA. If you wait until your FRA (67 for those born in 1960 or later), you'll get 100% of your deceased spouse's benefit. Filing at 60 gives you 71.5%, and it increases gradually for each month you wait after that. The key is that you have options about WHEN to file.
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Amara Adeyemi
my sister swears that if u take ur ss early theres a penalty on ALL benefits forever even widows. but that doesnt sound right from what everyones sayin here
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Liam O'Connor
•Your sister is confusing two separate things. Taking your OWN retirement benefits early creates a permanent reduction to THOSE benefits only. However, that reduction doesn't affect widow benefits, which are calculated separately based on your age when you apply for THEM. The two benefit types have separate rules and calculations.
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CosmicCadet
Thank you all for the helpful responses! I'm feeling much more clear about how this works now. To summarize what I've learned: 1. Taking my own retirement benefits at 65 has no impact on my future widow benefit percentage 2. If my husband passes away, the widow benefit I'd receive is based solely on my age at the time I apply for widow benefits 3. At my FRA (67) I'd get 100% of his benefit, at 65 I'd get about 92% 4. I can switch from my own benefit to widow benefits at any time if my husband passes away I'll definitely document my conversations with SSA from now on and might try that Claimyr service if I need to call them again. This has been so helpful - the SSA website just doesn't explain these nuances clearly!
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