Will my survivor benefits be less than my husband's actual Social Security payment? Statement shows $600 difference

As a surviving spouse at FRA, you should be entitled to 100% of your husband's benefit amount. That $600 difference is definitely worth questioning! A few possibilities: 1. The statement might be showing an outdated projection that doesn't include recent COLAs or earnings 2. There might be some adjustment due to government pension offset (GPO) if you have a pension from non-covered employment 3. It could simply be an error on the statement I'd recommend calling SSA directly to get clarification on this discrepancy. They can look at both your records and give you the correct projection.

The same thing was on my statement too! I think they use some weird calculation method that doesn't match real life. My wife was so confused until we talked to someone at our local office who explained it better.

This is a common source of confusion. The survivor benefit amount shown on Social Security Statements is often based on calculations that don't reflect the actual benefit amount being paid. Here's what's likely happening: - The Statement typically shows what your survivor benefit would be if your husband passed away THIS YEAR - It may not include all recent earnings or COLA adjustments - If your husband took benefits early with a reduction, but you claim survivor benefits at your FRA, the reduction doesn't apply to you - Some statements calculate based on the Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) rather than the actual benefit being received You're correct that as a surviving spouse who has reached FRA, you should receive 100% of your husband's benefit amount if it's higher than your own. I'd suggest requesting an appointment with SSA to get a personalized calculation of what your survivor benefit would actually be.

I went through this EXACT situation last year when my husband passed. The SSA statement showed about $500 less than what my husband was actually receiving. When I applied for survivor benefits, I actually received the FULL amount he was getting (minus the month of death payment processing). Don't trust the statement numbers - they're often outdated projections. The actual survivor benefit should be what he's currently receiving.

i had such a headache trying to get thru to ssa about my husbands bennefits!! kept calling for WEEKS and either got busy signals or was on hold for hours just to get disconnected!!! so frustrating!!!

I spent THREE HOURS on hold with Social Security last month trying to ask a question about my survivor benefits after my wife passed. Got disconnected twice! I finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU It was such a relief to finally talk to someone who could answer my questions about the survivor benefit calculations. Much better than waiting on hold all day or trying to figure it out from the confusing statements.

One thing to check - when did your husband start receiving his benefits? If he's getting delayed retirement credits for claiming after FRA (especially if he waited until 70), sometimes the statement doesn't accurately reflect those increases. The statements are often created using formulas that might not capture individual circumstances perfectly. If he waited until 70 to claim, that would explain why his actual benefit is higher than what the statement shows for survivor benefits. When you actually apply for survivor benefits, you should receive the same amount he was receiving.

my aunt went thru this. the statement was wrong and she got the full amount my uncle was getting when she became a widow. don't worry too much about what the paper says!!!

As others have confirmed, if your husband waited until age 70 to claim, the statement is likely not reflecting his delayed retirement credits (DRCs). Each year he delayed past his FRA increased his benefit by 8%, up to a maximum of 32% if he waited from FRA to 70. When you claim survivor benefits, you'll receive the higher of: 1. Your own retirement benefit ($1,300) 2. The actual amount your husband was receiving at the time of his death ($3,600) This is why planning for survivor benefits is such an important part of married couples' Social Security strategy - having one spouse (typically the higher earner) delay benefits to age 70 not only maximizes their lifetime benefit but also potentially provides a higher survivor benefit for the remaining spouse.