Will my sister's survivor benefits be based on her husband's SSDI amount or his FRA retirement amount?

I'm sorry about your sister's husband. To answer your question directly: survivor benefits are based on what the deceased was actually receiving at death. If he's receiving SSDI when he passes, then your sister's survivor benefit would be based on that higher amount. The one exception would be if he took early retirement benefits (which doesn't apply here since he's on SSDI). Also important to note that there's a potential one-time death benefit of $255 she should apply for shortly after his passing. Make sure she contacts SSA promptly when the time comes.

ur sister should get a FREE consultation with a benefits specialist ASAP! my cousin thought the same thing but ended up getting way less than expected because there were other factors. every case is different!!!

I went through this when my husband passed from ALS. The survivor benefit IS based on the higher amount he was receiving from SSDI, BUT they also do this weird recalculation based on his earnings and when he became disabled. In our case, it actually ended up HIGHER than what he was receiving! But Social Security never explained this to me initially - I had to make multiple calls and got different answers each time. The whole system is incredibly frustrating when you're also dealing with grief. One tip: have your sister gather ALL his work history and earnings records NOW while he can help verify everything. This will save so much heartache later.

After dealing with SSA for my mom's survivor benefits, I found a service called Claimyr that lets you skip the phone wait times. You can check them out at claimyr.com - they helped me get through to an actual SSA agent in under 10 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU For your sister's specific question, she should definitely speak directly with SSA about her unique situation. The rules are complicated and situation-dependent, especially with the disability-to-survivor transition. Having direct conversations with multiple agents helped us get the correct information.

My condolences to your sister. Make sure she understands she can't just assume SSA will automatically convert his benefits to survivor benefits when he passes. She needs to APPLY specifically for survivor benefits by calling SSA. And definitely tell her to wait until FRA to maximize the benefit amount unless she absolutely needs the money sooner.

Sorry you're family is going through this difficult time. There's a lot of misinformation here, so let me clarify a few important points about survivor benefits in this situation: 1. For survivor benefits, SSA will pay the higher of: (a) what the deceased was actually receiving, (b) 82.5% of the deceased's PIA if he died before FRA, or (c) 100% of a specially calculated PIA that factors in the disability onset. 2. Since your brother-in-law is receiving SSDI (not early retirement), and his SSDI amount is higher than his PIA would have been, your sister's survivor benefit will be based on that higher SSDI amount. 3. The 5-month waiting period for SSDI and 2-year Medicare waiting period are waived for many Compassionate Allowance conditions. 4. If possible, he should check if he qualifies for SSI during the SSDI waiting period. 5. Regarding the special recalculation mentioned by another poster - this is called the "Alternative Method" or "Indexing Year" calculation and can sometimes result in a higher benefit. I'd recommend your sister make an appointment with SSA to discuss survivor planning specifically. These conversations are difficult but important.

wait is she gonna apply for her own retirement or just the survivor? cuz if she has her own work record might be better to take one early and let the other one grow. my aunt did this and gets way more $$$

MAKE SURE he applies for all the benefits!!! My uncle had cancer and got denied disability at first because he didn't fill out all the forms right. They make it SO COMPLICATED on purpose i swear.

One other thing your sister should know - the survivor benefit is 100% of what he was receiving ONLY if she waits until her FRA. If she takes it early (even a month early), it's permanently reduced. The reduction can be as much as 28.5% if taken at age 60. And don't forget to ask about disabled widow benefits if she's disabled herself - different rules apply. The emotional toll of all this paperwork and decisions while grieving is just awful. Please encourage her to get everything in order now while he can help. Maybe even set up a specific file with all the documents she'll need later.

Something important that hasn't been mentioned yet: She should ask about her husband establishing a "protective filing date" for his SSDI application as soon as possible, even before they have all documentation ready. This preserves an earlier entitlement date, which could affect backpay and Medicare eligibility. And when the time comes for her survivor benefits, she should specifically mention the "LSDP" (Lump Sum Death Payment) - it's only $255 but many people don't know to ask for it. Also, she should inquire about her eligibility for disabled widow's benefits if she has any disability herself, as different rules apply. Finally, I'd suggest both of them look into setting up my.ssa.gov accounts now if they haven't already.