Will my Social Security survivor benefits increase to 100% at retirement age if I'm on SSDI?

Yes, your survivor benefits should automatically increase to the full 100% benefit when you reach your Full Retirement Age (FRA). Since you're 59 now, your FRA is 67. The SSA should make this adjustment automatically in the month you reach FRA - you don't need to submit a new application. They're basically removing the reduction that applies when survivor benefits are taken before FRA. Keep in mind that if your husband's benefit amount was reduced because he claimed early retirement benefits before his FRA, that reduction will still apply to your survivor benefit amount.

Thank you so much for this information! That's a relief to know it happens automatically. I was worried I might miss filing something and lose money. Do you know if they'll send me any notification before making the change? And what about my SSDI - will that just stop when the survivor benefit increases?

im not sure thats right. my mom was on survivors benefits and ssdi too and she had to go in person to the office when she turned full retirement age to get the increase. the lady told her if she hadnt come in she would of missed out on like $400 more a month

That's interesting - and concerning if true. The official policy is that it should adjust automatically, but we all know SSA systems don't always work perfectly. @OP, it might be worth calling again or sending a secure message through your my Social Security account just to confirm, even though it should happen automatically.

The way it works is actually a bit complicated. When you reach your Full Retirement Age, you'll receive the higher of either your disability benefit OR your survivor benefit at the 100% rate. They don't stack on top of each other. Right now you're getting the disability benefit plus a partial survivor benefit (if your disability benefit was less than your reduced survivor benefit). At FRA, the system SHOULD automatically recalculate to give you the highest possible benefit, but I've seen cases where that didn't happen properly.I had this exact situation with my benefits after my husband passed. I recommend contacting them about 2-3 months before you reach FRA (67) to verify they have it set up correctly. Otherwise you might lose money if their system doesn't trigger the increase properly.

Thanks for explaining this. It sounds more complex than I realized. I wasn't sure if I'd get both benefits or just the higher one. I'll definitely follow your advice about contacting them a few months before I hit 67. Did you have trouble reaching someone when you needed to do this?

EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW THIS: The SSA offices are absolutely SWAMPED right now and getting through on the phone is nearly IMPOSSIBLE most days!!! I spent FIFTEEN HOURS over THREE WEEKS trying to reach someone about my survivors benefits calculation. Kept getting disconnected after waiting 1-2 hours each time!!!!! SO FRUSTRATING!!!!

Yep, same experience here. I ended up giving up after trying for a month.

There's actually a service called Claimyr that can help you get through to SSA without the long wait times. I was in a similar situation trying to sort out my survivor benefits after my wife passed and kept getting disconnected. A friend recommended Claimyr and they got me connected to a Social Security agent in about 15 minutes. It was such a relief to finally talk to someone who could answer my questions. You can see how it works at claimyr.com or check out their demo video at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - definitely worth it for something this important.

I've never heard of this service before. Has anyone else used it? I'm desperate to talk to someone at SSA but really don't want to sit in the office for hours with my back pain.

I used it last month. Worked exactly as advertised. Got through to someone in about 20 minutes after trying for weeks on my own.

To address your question more specifically: When you reach FRA (67), your survivor benefit will increase to 100% of your late husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) - which is what he would have received at his full retirement age. This happens regardless of when he passed away or whether he had started collecting benefits.However, there's an important exception called the RIB-LIM rule that might apply in your case. If your husband had already started receiving reduced retirement benefits before he passed away, your survivor benefit would be limited to the larger of:1. The benefit he was receiving when he died2. 82.5% of his PIASo the increase you'll see at FRA depends on several factors including whether your husband had started collecting early.

This is getting really complicated. My husband hadn't started collecting his benefits yet when he passed, so I guess the RIB-LIM doesn't apply? I'm just worried because that $1,850 isn't enough to cover everything, especially with my medical costs going up every year.

just wanted to say sorry about ur husband passing. this stuff is so confusing. i helped my mom with similar stuff and we ended up just going to the office super early (like 45 min before opening) to be first in line. thats the only way we could get seen without waiting all day

Thank you for your kind words. That's a good tip about going early - I might try that if I can get someone to drive me. My arthritis is worst in the mornings so it's hard for me to drive that early, but it might be worth it to get this sorted out.

Since your husband hadn't started collecting benefits when he passed away, you'll receive 100% of his PIA at your FRA. And regarding your question about SSDI - what will happen is your benefits will essentially be

Thank you for clarifying! That makes sense about the relabeling. Do you happen to know if Medicare premiums will change when this happens? That's another thing I'm worried about since my Part B and D already take a chunk out of my monthly benefit.

btw if ur going to the office bring all ur documents even if u think they dont need them. bring ur id, ss card, marriage certificate, husbands death certificate, benefit statements, everything u have. they always ask for something u didnt bring lol

That's helpful advice - thank you! I have a folder with all those documents that I keep for situations like this. I'll make sure to bring everything.

I went through something very similar when my spouse passed two years ago. I was also on SSDI and receiving reduced survivor benefits. The good news is that yes, your benefits should automatically increase to 100% when you reach your FRA at 67, and since your husband hadn't started collecting yet, you'll get his full PIA amount. However, I'd strongly recommend following @Aria Khan's advice about contacting them 2-3 months before you turn 67 - not all the automatic systems work perfectly. I actually had to call twice because there was a delay in my adjustment. Also, regarding your struggle with medical costs, you might want to look into whether you qualify for any state assistance programs or Medicare Savings Programs that could help with your premiums and out-of-pocket costs. The increase you'll see at 67 should help significantly with your financial situation.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Ezra. I went through a very similar situation when my husband passed three years ago. I was 61, on SSDI for fibromyalgia, and really struggling to understand how the survivor benefits would work at my FRA. From my experience, the benefits should automatically adjust when you reach 67, but I'd echo what others have said about following up proactively. What helped me was creating a my Social Security account online (if you don't have one already) - you can send secure messages through there which sometimes gets faster responses than calling. I found it especially helpful for getting written confirmation of what would happen with my benefits. One thing that really caught me off guard was that the increase was more substantial than I expected since my husband hadn't started collecting yet. The jump from reduced survivor benefits to 100% of his PIA made a real difference in being able to manage my medical expenses and daily living costs. Also, regarding getting help from SSA - I had good luck calling right at 8 AM when they open. The wait times seemed shorter first thing in the morning. And definitely bring someone with you to the office if you can - having an advocate there when you're dealing with chronic pain makes such a difference. Hang in there - you're asking all the right questions and planning ahead, which is exactly what you should be doing.