Will my Social Security widow benefits be different from current CIC benefits with disabled adult son?

The key difference is that CIC benefits are a flat 75% of your deceased husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), while widow benefits vary based on when you claim them. If you claim at 60, you get 71.5% of his PIA. If you wait until your Full Retirement Age (probably 67), you'd get 100% of his PIA. So yes, timing matters quite a bit! In your case, waiting until FRA could mean a 25% increase over what you're getting now. I was in a similar situation last year and found it really frustrating trying to get clear answers from SSA. After dealing with busy signals and disconnections for days, I tried Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a rep. Their service connected me to SSA in about 15 minutes instead of spending hours on hold. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. The rep I reached explained exactly how my benefits would change at different ages, which helped me make a much better decision.

just wanna say be carefull. i think when you turn 62 the CIC benefits automattically stop. thats what happend to my sister. she didnt apply for anything else and had no income for 2 months!! make sure you apply for the widow benefits BEFORE your birthday.

The previous responses contain some inaccuracies I'd like to clarify. Child-in-Care widow/widower benefits don't automatically terminate when you reach 62. They terminate when you no longer have a child under 16 or disabled in your care. However, at 62, you become eligible for aged widow benefits. Here's what you need to know: 1. Your current CIC benefit is 75% of your deceased husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) 2. Aged widow benefits at 60 = 71.5% of PIA 3. Each month you delay between 60 and your Full Retirement Age increases the percentage 4. At Full Retirement Age (66-67 depending on birth year) = 100% of PIA Since you've been receiving CIC benefits and have no work record of your own, waiting until your FRA to switch to aged widow benefits would be financially advantageous unless you have pressing financial needs now. The SSA should automatically evaluate your eligibility for the higher benefit when you reach FRA.

I'm actually going through this exact transition right now, and it's been so confusing! One thing no one mentioned - if you have ANY work credits of your own (even if not enough for retirement benefits), you should check if you might qualify for disabled widow benefits before 62. I thought I had zero credits but turns out I had worked enough for that specific benefit. Also, has anyone dealt with the annual earnings limit while on widow benefits? I'm thinking about working part-time but heard they reduce benefits if you earn over a certain amount before FRA.

My mom went thru this last year and she got really BAD advice from the people at Social Security!!! They told her to switch right at 62 and she lost like $400 a month compared to her CIC benefits. Make SURE you understand exactly what your getting before you agree to any changes. And GET IT IN WRITING dont just trust what they tell you on the phone.

anybody know if the family maximum benefit rules affect this situation? when my husband died the worker told us there was a cap on total benefits for the family and that affected what me and my kids got each month.

Thank you everyone for the helpful information! I had no idea there was such a big difference between taking widow benefits at 62 versus waiting until my full retirement age. I've made an appointment with SSA next month, and I'm going to specifically ask for a written comparison of what I'd receive at different ages. I'll make sure they understand I'm currently on CIC benefits too. It sounds like waiting until my FRA could mean several hundred more dollars each month for the rest of my life, which would make a huge difference for us. I'll update this thread after my appointment in case it helps anyone else in a similar situation.