Will my Social Security survivor benefits be based on husband's reduced early retirement amount or his FRA amount?

I'm so sorry about your husband's health issues. I went through a similar situation with my wife. The good news is that if you wait until your full retirement age to claim survivor benefits, you'll receive what your husband would have received at HIS full retirement age, not the reduced amount he's currently getting. That's one of the few exceptions to the reduction rules. SSA doesn't penalize survivors for their spouse's early claiming.

Actually that's not entirely accurate. What you'll receive depends on when your husband claimed. Since he claimed at 62, your survivor benefit WILL be reduced somewhat, but not as much as his current check. You'll get what's called the "greater of" amount: either what he was receiving when he died OR 82.5% of his full retirement age benefit. This is because of the RIB-LIM rule (Retirement Insurance Benefit Limitation). If you claim survivor benefits before YOUR full retirement age, they'll be further reduced based on your age.

Let me clarify this since there's some confusion. The survivor benefit calculation when a spouse claims early is governed by the RIB-LIM rule: 1. If you wait until YOUR full retirement age, you'll receive the higher of: - The actual amount your husband was receiving when he died - 82.5% of your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (what he would have received at his FRA) 2. If you claim survivor benefits BEFORE your FRA, you'll receive a reduced amount based on how early you claim. So yes, there is some reduction because your husband claimed early, but it's not a straight dollar-for-dollar reduction to what he's currently receiving. The 82.5% floor provides some protection against early claiming penalties.

Yes, that's exactly right. In your example, you'd receive about $1,930 (the 82.5% amount) since it's higher than his current $1,750 payment. The key is waiting until YOUR full retirement age to maximize what you receive. Also, don't forget that you should compare your own retirement benefit to the survivor benefit. You're entitled to claim whichever is higher, and you can even switch between them at different times to maximize your lifetime benefits.

You DO NOT have to apply right away! But survivor benefits are only paid from when you apply - they don't backdate them like some other benefits. You have up to 12 months to apply and still get the full benefits from the date of death. And YES many funeral homes will help you notify Social Security and start the process. But they don't actually help you apply - they just notify SSA of the death. You still need to contact SSA yourself to actually APPLY for survivor benefits.

I had THE WORST time trying to reach someone at Social Security when my husband died!!! Called for WEEKS and couldn't get through. The online system wouldn't let me apply for survivor benefits either - kept saying I needed to call!!! Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real person at SSA in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Just sharing because I know how frustrating it is trying to get through to SSA when you're already dealing with grief.

my husband died last year and i got a lump sum death payment of $255 but thats all!!!! they told me i make too much at my job to get survivor benefits. i think the whole system is rigged against working people. i pay in all these years and cant even get benefits when my husband dies!!!

Coming back to the original question - there's one other scenario to consider. If your husband's health issues qualify him for Social Security disability benefits (SSDI), and he switches from early retirement to disability benefits, then your eventual survivor benefits would NOT be reduced at all. When someone receives disability benefits, the survivor benefits are calculated as if the person reached full retirement age, regardless of actual age. Has your husband ever considered applying for SSDI given his health condition? It might be worth exploring.

wait im confused do u have to be widowed to get survivor benefits? my husband is sick too but still alive can i get them now? or only after he passes away?

Thank you all so much for this incredibly helpful information! I understand the situation much better now. To summarize what I've learned: 1. If I wait until my FRA to claim survivor benefits, I'll get the higher of either his current benefit ($1,750) or 82.5% of his FRA amount (about $1,930) 2. I should look into whether my husband might qualify for SSDI, which could eliminate the reduction entirely 3. I need to compare my own retirement benefit to the survivor benefit when the time comes and consider claiming strategies This gives me a much better foundation for financial planning. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to explain all this!