Will my husband get my full delayed retirement amount ($3100) as survivor benefits if I die after age 70?
I'm trying to figure out the best strategy for my retirement and my husband's potential survivor benefits. I've been looking at my Social Security statement and I'm confused about how my claiming age affects what my husband would get if I pass away. My estimated monthly benefits would be: - $2,650 if I claim at my FRA (67) - $3,100 if I delay until 70 I'm planning to wait until 70 to get the higher amount, but I have two questions about survivor benefits: 1. If I claim at 70 and then die later, would my husband receive my full $3,100 monthly benefit as a survivor? 2. What if I die before claiming benefits (let's say at age 68)? Would he get what I would have received at FRA ($2,650) or would they calculate it based on my age at death? My husband's own benefit will be much lower than mine, so I want to make sure he'd get the highest possible survivor benefit. These numbers really matter for our planning.
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Alice Coleman
Your husband would receive your higher delayed retirement benefit if you claim at 70 and then pass away later. That's one of the big advantages of delaying - it not only increases your benefit, but also potentially increases the survivor benefit for your spouse. If you die before claiming (like at 68), your husband would still receive what you would have been eligible for at the time of death - which includes the delayed retirement credits you've earned up to that point. So at 68, that would be somewhere between your FRA amount and your age 70 amount, as you've already earned some delayed retirement credits.
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Sofia Price
•Thank you! So to be clear, if I die at 68 before claiming, he doesn't just get my FRA amount ($2,650), but actually gets more because I've earned some delayed credits between 67-68? That's a relief to know.
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Owen Jenkins
my brother went through this last year. his wife passed at 69 and never claimed SS. he got her benefit with the extra credits she earned by waiting past her FRA. its not the same as if she made it to 70 but its more than her FRA amount would have been. SS office explained it was prorated or something.
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Sofia Price
•I'm sorry about your brother's wife. But thank you for sharing - that's exactly the situation I was worried about. Good to know they prorate the delayed credits.
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Lilah Brooks
To be more precise about the calculations: If you die before claiming, your husband would receive a survivor benefit based on what's called the "Primary Insurance Amount" (PIA) plus any delayed retirement credits you earned up to the date of death. The formula is that you earn 8% per year in delayed retirement credits (or 2/3 of 1% per month) for every month you delay past your FRA. So if you died at exactly age 68, that would be 12 months of delayed credits = 8% increase over your FRA amount. $2,650 + 8% = approximately $2,862 monthly survivor benefit If you made it to 70 and claimed, then died later, he'd get the full $3,100.
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Jackson Carter
•This is why I ALWAYS tell married couples where one spouse has a much higher benefit to delay the higher earner's benefit! It's like buying life insurance. The survivor gets that higher amount for the rest of their life!!! So many people don't understand this strategy.
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Kolton Murphy
I work for a financial planner and this survivor benefit strategy is something we discuss with clients ALL THE TIME. Delaying the higher earner's benefit is often the best choice for married couples. One more point: make sure your husband is aware that he'll need to apply for survivor benefits when the time comes - they don't automatically switch him over. And if he's receiving his own retirement benefit already, he'll get the HIGHER of either his own benefit or your survivor benefit, not both combined.
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Sofia Price
•That's a good point about having to apply. I'll make sure my husband knows that. And yes, I'm aware he can't combine benefits - he'll just get the higher of the two. His benefit will only be around $1,800 at his FRA, so my survivor benefit would definitely be higher.
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Evelyn Rivera
Has anyone here actually tried calling the SS office to get a straight answer about this stuff???? I spent 4 HOURS on hold last month trying to ask a similar question about my wife's benefits and never got through to anyone!!! Beyond frustrating.
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Julia Hall
•I was having the same problem trying to reach SSA about my disability review. After getting disconnected three times, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU It was definitely worth it to actually talk to someone and get my questions answered. The SSA phone system is practically impossible to navigate otherwise.
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Owen Jenkins
wait so ur saying we should always wait til 70??? but what if u need the money sooner?? isnt a bird in hand worth 2 in the bush lol
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Lilah Brooks
•It's not always best for everyone to wait until 70. If you have health issues and don't expect to live into your 80s, or if you absolutely need the income earlier, then claiming sooner might make sense. But statistically speaking, for a married couple where one spouse has a much higher benefit, delaying the higher earner's benefit often provides the best long-term financial outcome through survivor benefits.
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Jackson Carter
I'm confused about something - Does the husband's age matter when collecting survivor benefits? Like if the wife dies at 70 but the husband is only 65, does he get reduced benefits or the full amount? The SSA website is SO confusing about this!!!
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Alice Coleman
•Good question! The husband's age DOES matter. If he claims survivor benefits before his own full retirement age, they will be reduced. He can get 71.5% of the benefit at age 60, and it increases gradually until he reaches his full retirement age, when he gets 100% of the survivor benefit. So in the original poster's scenario, if her husband is at or past his full retirement age when he claims survivor benefits, he would get the full $3,100 (assuming she delayed to 70 and then passed away). But if he claims survivor benefits early, he'd get a reduced percentage.
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Sofia Price
Thank you all for the helpful responses! This has really clarified things for me. I'm definitely going to stick with my plan to delay until 70 since it seems like the best way to protect my husband if I die first. The 8% per year increase is substantial, and knowing that even if I die before 70, he'd still get the prorated increase for however many months I've delayed past 67 gives me peace of mind. I'll make sure my husband understands he needs to apply for survivor benefits when the time comes and that his age matters for the calculation too. I appreciate everyone sharing their knowledge and experiences!
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