Will my wife's Social Security survivor benefits be reduced if I die before my FRA?

Your wife will receive your full PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) if she claims survivor benefits at her FRA or later, regardless of when you pass away. The key factor is WHEN SHE CLAIMS, not when you die. If you die before claiming benefits yourself, her survivor benefit would be based on your PIA, with no reduction. This is one of the more confusing aspects of Social Security survivor benefits that many people misunderstand. There's no penalty to her if you die before reaching your FRA as long as she waits until her FRA to claim.

My husband died at 64 (before his FRA) last year and I'm getting his full benefit amount now that I'm at my FRA. SSA said I get what he would've gotten at his full retirement age not what he was getting when he died (he took benefits at 62).

There's a bit more to consider here. If you die before claiming benefits, your wife would be eligible for your full PIA if she claims at her FRA. However, if you've already claimed reduced benefits when you pass away, the survivor benefit would be limited to the larger of: 1) the actual benefit you were receiving, or 2) 82.5% of your PIA. This is known as the RIB-LIM rule (Retirement Insurance Benefit Limitation). But since you're planning to wait until 70 and she'll claim at her FRA, she would get your full PIA if you die before filing. The most beneficial scenario would actually be if you file at 70 and then pass away, as she'd then receive your age-70 increased benefit amount.

I thought survivor benefits were ALWAYS reduced if the person died before FRA?? My sister's getting less than her husband would have gotten because he died at 65. Social security is SO COMPLICATED!!!!

The amount your wife can receive depends on several factors. If you die before FRA and haven't filed for benefits, she gets your full PIA at her FRA. But watch out for the earnings limit if she works and claims before her FRA! I learned this the hard way when my husband passed. Any income over the annual limit ($21,240 in 2023) results in $1 withheld for every $2 earned. Once she reaches FRA, the earnings limit no longer applies. Also, has she worked enough to qualify for her own benefits? She should compare her own benefit to the survivor benefit and take whichever is higher.

my friend tried to deal with SSA after her husband died and it was IMPOSSIBLE to get through to them on the phone!!! she finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual person at SS. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU It helped her get the survivor benefits situation sorted out without waiting on hold for hours.

EVERYONE here is missing a CRITICAL point!!! If the original poster dies before FRA but has NOT yet filed for benefits, the widow IS ENTITLED TO A SPECIAL BENEFIT called the WINDEX!!! The Widow's Index calculation gives her MORE than 100% of his PIA in some cases. SSA won't tell you this because they don't want to pay extra!!!

To summarize for anyone else with similar questions: If you die before filing for your own benefits, your wife would receive 100% of your PIA if she claims at her FRA. If you file early and then die, she'd get the higher of what you were receiving or 82.5% of your PIA. If you delay until 70 and then pass away, she'd get your increased benefit with delayed retirement credits. Since you're planning to wait until 70 and she'll claim at her FRA, you're already following an optimal strategy for maximizing her potential survivor benefits.