Will my survivor benefits be reduced if I claim Social Security at 62 while husband claimed at his FRA?

If your husband passes away, you would be eligible to receive survivor benefits based on his earnings record. Here's how it works: if you take your own retirement benefits early (before your FRA), and later switch to survivor benefits, your survivor benefit amount would NOT be reduced because you took your own benefits early. However, if you claim survivor benefits before YOUR full retirement age, then those survivor benefits would be reduced. So you have options: 1. Take your reduced retirement benefit at 62 2. If your husband passes away, you could then switch to survivor benefits when you reach your FRA to get 100% of what he received Or alternatively, if he passes before you start any benefits, you could take reduced survivor benefits early, or wait until your FRA for the full survivor amount. The good news is that your early retirement claim doesn't permanently reduce your survivor benefits - they're calculated separately.

im in a simular spot. took my ss at 62 but my wifes benefit is WAY higher than mine. I asked at the ss office and they told me i can still get her full amount when she passes but only after i reach my FRA. wish id known more about this stuff earlier!

You're asking a smart question! Here's what you need to know: 1. If you claim your OWN benefits at 62, they'll be permanently reduced (probably by about 30% from your FRA amount) 2. If your husband passes away, you'd have the option to either: - Keep your own reduced benefit - Switch to a survivor benefit 3. The SURVIVOR benefit amount depends on WHEN YOU CLAIM IT - not when you claimed your own retirement: - If you claim survivors BEFORE your FRA: reduced amount (about 71.5% of his benefit at age 60) - If you claim survivors AT your FRA: 100% of what he was receiving Strategy: Since his benefit is so much higher, you might consider taking your own reduced retirement at 62, then if he passes away, switch to survivor benefits at your FRA to get his full amount. I recommend creating a my Social Security account online and using their calculators to see exact numbers for your situation.

My husband was 8 years older then me and i had a similar situation. When he passed i was only 60 and they told me i could take the survivor benefit right away (reduced) or wait. I waited till my FRA and got his full amount. SSA doesnt explain this stuff very well!!!

I dealt with the EXACT same issue last year. I tried calling Social Security for TWO WEEKS straight and couldn't get through to anyone. Busy signals, disconnects, hours on hold only to get hung up on. FINALLY I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real SSA agent in under 20 minutes! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I actually talked to someone, they explained that I could take my reduced retirement benefit now and still get my husband's full benefit as a survivor benefit when I reach my FRA. Totally worth it to get actual confirmation from SSA directly.

There are several important nuances to understand about survivor benefits: 1. The maximum survivor benefit is the HIGHER of: - What your husband was receiving at his death - What he would have received if he had waited until 70 2. Your age when claiming survivor benefits matters: - At your FRA: 100% of his benefit - At age 60: 71.5% of his benefit - Between 60 and FRA: sliding scale 3. The reduction for claiming your OWN retirement early does NOT affect your survivor benefit amount. 4. You can switch between benefits: - Start with your own reduced retirement at 62 - Switch to survivors when advantageous (usually at your FRA) Also, while your husband is still living, you're eligible for spousal benefits (up to 50% of his FRA benefit) once you file for your own retirement benefits.

BE CAREFUL!! The Social Security rules are INSANELY complicated and most of the employees don't even understand all the details!! My mom got terrible advice from someone at SSA and it cost her THOUSANDS in benefits she could have received. Whatever you do, get EVERYTHING in writing and maybe consult with a financial advisor who specializes in Social Security claiming strategies before making your final decision. Also, did you know that if you're widowed, you can claim SURVIVOR benefits as early as 60 (or 50 if disabled), but you can't claim spousal benefits until 62? The whole system is designed to be confusing!

Thank you all for your helpful responses! I think I understand my options better now. Since my husband's benefit is so much higher than mine would be, it seems like a good strategy might be to: 1. Take my own reduced benefit at 62 2. If my husband passes away before I reach my FRA, evaluate whether to: - Switch immediately to a reduced survivor benefit (if it's higher than my reduced retirement) - Continue with my own benefit until my FRA, then switch to the full survivor benefit I'm going to try using that Claimyr service to actually speak with SSA to confirm this strategy for my specific situation before I make any decisions. It's frustrating how complicated they make all of this!

As someone who just went through this exact situation, I wanted to share what I learned. My husband was 8 years older and had already been collecting for 5 years when I turned 62. I was so confused about all the rules! Here's what SSA confirmed for me: your early retirement claim does NOT reduce your future survivor benefits. They're calculated completely separately. So you can absolutely take your reduced benefit at 62 and then later switch to his full survivor benefit when you reach your FRA. The key thing to remember is timing - if you become widowed before your FRA, you can choose to take reduced survivor benefits immediately OR wait until your FRA for the full amount. Since his benefit is so much higher than yours ($2,800 vs $1,100), waiting for the full survivor benefit would probably be worth it financially. I'd also suggest asking SSA about "restricted application" strategies since there might be spousal benefit options while he's still living that could be better than your own reduced retirement benefit. Good luck navigating this - it's definitely not simple!