Will my Social Security retirement benefit be reduced if I take survivor benefits at 64?

You're on the right track with your strategy! Taking survivor benefits early and switching to your own retirement later can be very smart. The good news is that your own retirement benefit will NOT be reduced just because you took survivor benefits early. They are calculated completely separately. Your survivor benefit will be reduced because you're taking it before your FRA, but your own retirement benefit will grow based on your own record regardless of when you took survivor benefits. In fact, if you wait until 70 to claim your own, you'll get the maximum delayed retirement credits (about 8% per year after FRA).

SSA won't automatically switch you. You need to formally apply for retirement benefits when you want to switch. I'd recommend calling or visiting your local office about 3 months before you want to make the switch. And just a heads up - the phones at SSA are TERRIBLE to get through. I spent 3 days trying to reach someone about my retirement application status. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me a ton of frustration when dealing with my benefits questions.

my frend took suvivor benifits at 60 and her own at FRA and they didnt cut her own benefit. same thing as what your talkin about i think. but the SSA is always changin rules so who knows lol

This is actually one of the few remaining "sweet spot" strategies after the 2015 law changes eliminated file-and-suspend and restricted application for most people. You're correct that the two benefits are calculated independently. Your survivor benefit will be reduced by approximately 0.396% per month before your FRA (working out to about a 12.9% reduction at age 64), but your own retirement benefit continues to grow regardless. If you wait until 70, you'll get 124% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). Just make sure your own benefit at 70 will exceed your survivor benefit - for some people, the survivor benefit is higher even with the reduction.

WRONG INFORMATION ALERT!!!! My sister did EXACTLY what you're planning and they DID reduce her retirement benefit because she took survivor early!!!!! The SSA person said it was because she was already receiving SS benefits, so the retirement reduction applied to EVERYTHING. She's fighting it now but they already started paying her the lower amount!!!! BE CAREFUL!!!!!

Just went through this last year! Was so nervous about making the wrong choice. But yes, taking my survivors at 63 didn't hurt my retirement benefit at all. Just make sure you specify you're filing ONLY for survivors when you apply. The form is confusing and if you accidentally apply for both, you could end up with reduced retirement benefits. Good luck!

My situation is a little different but might help. I took early retirement at 62 then when my husband passed I switched to survivors at 64. Going from retirement to survivors instead of the other way around like you. But I spent HOURS with the SS people figuring out all the options. They confirmed multiple times that each benefit type has its own separate calculation. Taking one benefit type early only affects THAT benefit type, not the other. The laws on this haven't changed with any of the recent SS amendments.

ugh this is all so confusing why cant the government make this simple??? i swear they want us to mess up so they can pay less

Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I feel much more confident now about my plan to take survivor benefits at 64 and then switch to my own retirement benefit at 70. Just to summarize what I've learned from all of you: 1) The two benefits are calculated independently 2) Taking survivor benefits early will reduce THOSE benefits, but not my future retirement benefit 3) I need to be very clear when applying that I'm ONLY applying for survivor benefits 4) I should contact the SSA about 3 months before I want to switch to my own benefit 5) If the phones are impossible, there are services that can help get through This forum has been so much more helpful than the official information! Thanks again.

You've got a solid plan! One additional tip - when you do switch to your own retirement benefit at 70, make sure to keep records of all your communications with SSA. Sometimes there can be delays in processing the switch, and having documentation helps if you need to follow up. Also, consider doing a benefits estimate on the SSA website (ssa.gov/myaccount) to double-check your projected amounts before making the switch. The online calculator can show you exactly what your retirement benefit would be at different claiming ages, which helps confirm your strategy is maximizing your lifetime benefits.

I went through this exact same decision process about 6 months ago and can confirm what others have said - the benefits are calculated completely separately! I was also 63 when my husband passed and decided to take survivor benefits at 64. The SSA representative I worked with was very clear that my future retirement benefit wouldn't be affected at all by taking survivor benefits early. One thing I'd add is to get everything in writing when you apply. I asked for a written explanation of my benefit amounts and how they were calculated, which has been helpful to reference. Also, don't be surprised if different SSA representatives give you slightly different information - I talked to three different people and got three slightly different explanations, but the core message was always the same: the benefits don't affect each other's calculations. Your strategy sounds really smart, especially if your own benefit at 70 will be significantly higher than the reduced survivor benefit. Good luck with everything!