Will my ex-spouse's SSDI survivor benefits increase if I wait until 70 to claim them?

Survivor benefits from an ex-spouse are different from regular retirement benefits. They do NOT continue to grow after your ex passed away. The maximum survivor benefit you could receive would be based on what your ex-husband was receiving at his death ($1,500) or what he would have received at his full retirement age, whichever is higher. Waiting until 70 won't increase that amount further. However, if you take survivor benefits before your full retirement age (probably 66 and some months for you), they will be reduced. Survivor benefits reach their maximum at your FRA, not at 70.

my sister was in almost the same situation last yr and the SS office told her to take the survivors right at her FRA because it doesnt go up after that.

There's another option u should know about. If ur own SS benefit at 70 would be higher than the survivor benefit, you could take the survivor benefit at FRA and then switch to your own at 70. That way u get some money now and a higher amount later. Worth looking into if u have a decent work history.

I went through this when my ex passed. Here's what you need to know: 1. Survivor benefits (including ex-spouse survivors) reach maximum at YOUR full retirement age 2. They do NOT grow with delayed retirement credits after your FRA 3. The benefit amount is based on what your ex was receiving when he died 4. Since you're divorced, you need to have been married at least 10 years to qualify 5. You should compare this with your own retirement benefit The strategy of taking survivor benefits at FRA and switching to your own at 70 is often optimal if your own benefit at 70 will exceed the survivor amount. This allows your own benefit to grow with delayed retirement credits (8% per year) while still receiving some income. Make an appointment with SSA to discuss your specific situation and all options.

I had the EXACT same question last year! The SSA phone lines are impossible - I was disconnected 4 times trying to figure this out. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at SSA in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Totally worth it to avoid the frustration of constant disconnects. The agent confirmed everything others here are saying - survivor benefits max out at YOUR FRA, not 70.

WRONG information from some people here!!!! Survivor benefits DO increase if the deceased would have gotten more by waiting!!! If ur ex had waited til 70 he'd get more and SO WOULD YOU as survivor!!! But since he already claimed at 67 and has died, then NO it won't increase anymore. SSA makes this SO CONFUSING!!!!

doesn't the $1500 seem kinda low for someone who was on SSDI until 67? was he on SSI maybe instead? just wondering cuz that might change things

Based on what you've shared, it sounds like your best strategy would be to: 1. Take the survivor benefit at your FRA (66 and 8 months) 2. Let your own retirement benefit grow until 70 3. Switch to your own benefit at 70 when it reaches $1,850 This maximizes your lifetime benefits. Just be aware that when you apply, make sure to specify that you want to restrict your application to survivor benefits only, so you don't accidentally claim your own retirement early.

Just be careful with the working part - if ur under FRA and collecting ANY SS benefits there's an earnings limit. Think it's around $20k for 2025. If u earn more than that they take back $1 for every $2 over the limit. Once u hit FRA no more earnings limit.