Will my disabled adult daughter and I get increased Social Security benefits when my terminally ill husband passes?

I'm so sorry about your husband. To answer your questions: Yes, as a widow, you would be eligible to receive 100% of your husband's benefit amount when he passes, assuming you're at your full retirement age when you claim survivor benefits. If you claim before your FRA, the benefit would be reduced. Your disabled adult daughter who became disabled before 22 would receive 75% of your husband's benefit amount as a survivor benefit. These changes do NOT happen automatically - you will need to report your husband's passing to Social Security and apply for survivor benefits. You cannot do this online and will need to call SSA or visit an office.

Thank you for this information. I didn't realize I would need to contact them - I thought it might switch over automatically. Do you know what documentation I'll need to have ready? And since I'm only 61, sounds like I'd get a reduced amount?

First, I'm very sorry for what you're going through. When my father passed last year, we had to navigate this exact situation with my disabled sister. The survivor benefits do NOT switch automatically - you MUST report the death to SSA. Bring the death certificate when you go. For your daughter, make sure you have documentation of her disability onset before 22. The frustrating part was trying to reach someone at SSA. After getting disconnected six times and waiting on hold for hours over several days, I discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real person at SSA in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Made the whole process much less stressful during an already difficult time.

I used that Claimyr thing too after being on hold with SSA for 3 hrs and then getting disconnected! Totally worth it since I couldn't keep missing work just to sit on hold.

NOBODY at SSA will automatically know when your husband passes!! My mom went 3 MONTHS thinking everything was fine after my dad died and then suddenly got a letter saying she had to pay back $6,400 for \

Oh no, that's terrifying! I definitely don't want to end up owing money back. I'll make sure to contact them right away when the time comes. I'm sorry your mom had to deal with that on top of losing your dad.

just wanted to say sorry about ur husband. my brother is disabled since birth and got higher benefits when our dad died but mom had to go to the ssa office with death certificate and stuff. think it took like 2 months to get the new payment amount

Thank you, and thanks for sharing your experience. It helps to know what to expect with the timeline.

I'd like to add some practical information about your specific situation:1. For you: At age 61, if you claim widow's benefits immediately, you'd receive approximately 71.5% of your husband's full benefit (not 100% since you're below FRA).2. For your daughter: Her benefit will indeed increase from 50% to 75% of your husband's benefit amount.3. Important consideration: If you're still working, be aware of the earnings limit which could reduce your survivor benefits temporarily until you reach FRA.4. Documentation needed: Death certificate, your marriage certificate, Social Security numbers for everyone, and your direct deposit information. For your daughter, have her disability documentation ready as well.5. Timeline: It typically takes 2-3 weeks for processing once you report the death, with new payment amounts starting 1-2 months after that.I suggest calling SSA as soon as possible after your husband's passing. Consider making an appointment now to discuss transition planning.

This is incredibly helpful, thank you. I hadn't considered the earnings limit - I do work part-time (about $18,000/year). Would that affect my benefits? Also, is it possible to make an appointment to discuss planning while my husband is still with us?

Yes, you can absolutely make an appointment now to discuss planning. This is actually recommended in situations like yours - SSA calls it

This earnings limit thing is so confusing...my cousin lost all her widows benefits bc she made like $30k at her job and nobody warned her this would happen!

my mom went through this last year when dad passed. she got his full amount but had to wait til full retirement age. she was 67 tho. think the rules r different for each person depends on your birthdate. the ssa people told her if she was younger shed get less. the disabled kid benefit part i dont know about sorry

You're right - widow(er) benefits are reduced if claimed before Full Retirement Age. At age 61, the reduction is approximately 28.5% from the full 100% survivor benefit. The exact reduction percentage depends on birth year and exact age when claiming.

I want to thank everyone for all this helpful information. I'm going to call SSA tomorrow to schedule an appointment to discuss advance planning. It's a relief to understand what to expect, even though it's hard to think about. I'll make sure to keep all the necessary documentation organized and ready. I appreciate the tip about Claimyr too - sounds like it might save a lot of frustration when the time comes to make these changes.