Will remarriage end my Social Security survivor benefits? Confused about spousal top-up eligibility timing

You're in luck! The remarriage rules for Social Security survivor benefits are age-based. If you remarry before age 60, you will lose your survivor benefits. But if you wait until 60 or later to remarry, you can keep collecting them. Since you're 58 now and planning to marry next year at 59, you might want to consider postponing the wedding until after your 60th birthday to maintain those benefits. As for spousal benefits based on your new husband's record, you would be eligible after you've been married for at least one year. There's no automatic deemed filing for spousal benefits - you would need to apply for them. Once you reach your Full Retirement Age (probably 67 for you), you could then choose whichever benefit is higher: your continued survivor benefit from your first husband OR the spousal benefit from your new husband (which would be up to 50% of his benefit amount at his FRA).

u cant have both benefits at the same time!!! my mom tried this and SSA made her pick one. its either survivors OR spousal, not both!!! be careful what u decide

I went through this exact situation last year. Here's what I learned from my experience: 1. Survivor benefits STOP if you remarry before age 60 (age 50 if disabled) 2. If you remarry at 60+, you keep eligibility for survivor benefits 3. For spousal benefits on new spouse, you must be married 1 year before applying 4. At FRA, SSA will pay the HIGHER of the two benefits, not both I waited until my 60th birthday to remarry specifically to keep my options open. Best decision I made! I recommend speaking directly with SSA before making your decision - calling early morning when they first open helped me avoid long wait times.

Has anyone used Claimyr to reach Social Security directly? I was in a similar situation last year with survivor benefits questions and spent days trying to get through. A friend recommended Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they have this service where they wait on hold with SSA and call you when an agent picks up. Saved me hours of frustration! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. For complicated benefit questions like this remarriage situation, speaking directly with SSA is really the best option.

My sister just went thru this!!! She got remaried at 59 and LOST her surviver benefits!! She was SOOO MAD bcuz nobody told her about the age 60 rule! If ur getting maried next year WAIT til ur 60th birthday!!!!!!

The rules about this are so confusing! I got different answers from 2 different SS reps when I called about something similar. Here's what I've learned through experience - you can't get both benefits at the same time, but you CAN apply for both and get the higher amount. SS calls this the "greater of" rule. Also important - if your future husband hasn't applied for his benefits yet, you can't get spousal benefits based on his record until he does file (even if he's eligible but delaying).

To clarify some confusion in this thread: if you remarry at or after 60, you preserve your right to survivor benefits. After a year of marriage, you'd be eligible for spousal benefits on your new husband's record. At that point, you have options: 1. Continue receiving survivor benefits if they're higher 2. Switch to spousal benefits if they're higher (up to 50% of your new husband's FRA amount) This gives you financial flexibility. When you reach your own FRA, you should contact SSA for a benefits calculation to see which option maximizes your monthly payment. This is a case where timing really matters - that 60th birthday is a critical threshold for survivor benefits and remarriage.

I used Claimyr when dealing with my survivor benefit questions. The rep I got actually explained that in some very specific situations, you can get PARTIAL concurrent benefits - if your survivor benefit is higher than your spousal benefit, you'll get the full survivor benefit. If your spousal would be higher, you'll get the survivor benefit plus the difference to equal the spousal amount. That's why it's so important to speak with SSA directly about your specific situation. Their website is claimyr.com if you want to avoid the hold times.

just wondering... has anyone checked if the marriage would affect other benefits?? my friend lost her Medicare help when she remarried becuz her new husbands income counted against her!! something to think about

I just wanted to update everyone and say THANK YOU for all the helpful information! I've decided to postpone the wedding until right after my 60th birthday so I can keep my options open with the survivor benefits. I've got an appointment with my local SSA office next month to go over everything and make sure I understand all the implications. This forum has been such a lifesaver - I never would have known about the age 60 rule otherwise!

I'm so glad you found this community helpful! Your decision to wait until 60 to remarry is really smart - it gives you maximum flexibility with your benefits. One thing I'd add is to make sure you get everything in writing from SSA when you meet with them. I've learned that different representatives sometimes give slightly different interpretations of the rules, so having your specific situation documented can be really valuable. Also, don't forget to factor in any cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) that might affect your benefits between now and when you'd potentially switch. Wishing you all the best with your upcoming marriage and navigating these complex benefit rules!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation but a bit younger (54) and considering remarriage. Reading through all these responses really drives home how important that age 60 threshold is. One thing I wanted to add that might help others - I found out that if you're divorced from your first spouse (rather than widowed), the remarriage rules are different. For divorced spousal benefits, you lose them if you remarry at ANY age, not just before 60. But since you're dealing with survivor benefits from your deceased husband, the age 60 rule applies. It's so confusing how Social Security has different rules for different types of benefits! I'm bookmarking this thread because the advice about getting everything in writing and calling SSA early in the morning is golden. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps to hear from people who've actually been through this process.

I'm so grateful this thread exists! I'm 57 and recently engaged, and I had no idea about the age 60 rule for survivor benefits. My fiancé and I were planning a fall wedding next year, but after reading all of this, I think we need to have a serious conversation about timing. One question I haven't seen addressed - does the "age 60" rule refer to when you GET married, or when you APPLY to get married (like getting the marriage license)? I'm wondering if there's any gray area there, or if it's strictly based on the actual wedding date. Also, has anyone dealt with this situation where your survivor benefits are significantly higher than what the spousal benefits would be from your new spouse? In my case, my late husband had a very high earnings record, so I'm wondering if it would ever make sense to switch to spousal benefits, or if I should just plan to stick with survivor benefits for life. The advice about calling SSA early in the morning and getting everything in writing is so helpful. I'm definitely going to schedule an appointment before making any wedding plans!

This thread has been incredibly informative! I'm in a somewhat similar situation - I'm 61 and have been receiving survivor benefits for two years. I actually did remarry last year at age 60 (literally planned the wedding for two weeks after my 60th birthday after learning about this rule from my local SSA office). What I can add from my experience is that even though I kept my eligibility for survivor benefits, I still had to notify Social Security about my remarriage within a certain timeframe. They don't automatically know you've gotten married, so you need to report it. The good news is that since I was over 60, my survivor benefits continued uninterrupted. I'm now approaching the one-year mark of my marriage and will be eligible to apply for spousal benefits based on my new husband's record. From what my SSA representative told me, they'll calculate both options and automatically pay me whichever is higher - I don't have to choose. My survivor benefits are currently higher, but my husband hasn't filed for his own benefits yet, so the spousal calculation might change once he does. One practical tip: keep really good records of all your communications with SSA. I created a little folder with dates, representative names, and notes from each conversation. It's been helpful when following up on questions!

I'm a newcomer here but have been following Social Security issues closely as I approach retirement age myself. This thread has been incredibly educational! I wanted to add a few points that might help others in similar situations: First, for those mentioning Claimyr - I haven't used them personally, but I've found that calling SSA right when they open at 7 AM local time significantly reduces wait times. I usually get through within 15-20 minutes versus hours later in the day. Second, something that hasn't been mentioned much is the impact of Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) on your decision-making timeline. Survivor benefits receive annual COLA increases, which can compound over time. If you're comparing current survivor benefits to potential future spousal benefits, factor in several years of COLA growth on the survivor side. Finally, I'd strongly recommend creating a simple spreadsheet to track different scenarios - survivor benefits with COLA growth versus spousal benefits at different application ages. This helped me tremendously when evaluating my own Social Security strategy. The SSA.gov website has benefit calculators that can help with projections, though nothing beats getting official calculations from a representative for your specific situation. Everyone's advice about getting everything in writing and keeping detailed records is spot-on. These benefit rules are complex and having documentation protects you if there are any future discrepancies.

As a newcomer to this community, I want to say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm 59 and facing a very similar situation - I've been receiving survivor benefits for 18 months and recently got engaged. Before finding this thread, I was completely unaware of the age 60 rule and was planning our wedding for this spring. Now I realize I need to wait just a few more months to protect my financial security. What strikes me most is how this critical information isn't more widely known. My friends who gave me conflicting advice clearly didn't understand the nuances, and I wonder how many people make costly mistakes simply because they don't know about resources like this community. I'm especially grateful for the practical tips shared here - the early morning SSA calling strategy, keeping detailed records, getting everything in writing, and the spreadsheet approach for comparing scenarios. These are exactly the kind of real-world insights you can't get from reading dry government websites. One thing I'm curious about that I haven't seen mentioned - does anyone know if there are any tax implications to consider when switching between survivor and spousal benefits? I imagine the amounts might be different enough to potentially affect tax brackets, but I'm not sure if the benefits are taxed the same way regardless of type. Thank you all for creating such a supportive and informative space for navigating these complex decisions!

As someone who works with Social Security beneficiaries regularly, I want to emphasize how important it is to get personalized advice for your specific situation. While the general rule about age 60 and remarriage is well-established, there can be nuances based on your exact benefit amounts, ages, and circumstances. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned much is the potential impact on Medicare premiums (IRMAA) if your new household income is significantly higher after marriage. High earners pay income-related monthly adjustment amounts for Medicare Part B and Part D, and this is based on modified adjusted gross income from two years prior. So even if your Social Security benefits aren't affected, your Medicare costs could change. Also, for anyone reading this thread in the future - these rules can and do change with new legislation, so always verify current rules with SSA directly. What's accurate today might not be in a few years. The Social Security 2100 Act and other proposed reforms could potentially modify some of these remarriage provisions. I really appreciate how supportive this community is in helping people navigate these complex decisions. The real-world experiences shared here are invaluable for folks facing these difficult choices between love and financial security.