Would I get 100% of husband's SSDI as survivor benefits if he passes after marriage but before his FRA?

First, sorry you have to think about these difficult scenarios. The good news is that if you're married for at least 9 months before your husband passes away, you generally qualify for widow's benefits. As for the percentage, since he's on SSDI and would pass before his FRA, you'd be entitled to a widow's benefit equal to what he was receiving at the time of death (so 100% of his SSDI amount), assuming you're at your own FRA when you claim the survivor benefit. If you claim survivor benefits before your FRA, they would be reduced. Also worth noting - if your own retirement benefit would be higher than the survivor benefit, you'd get your own benefit amount instead. The SSA will pay whichever is higher, not both.

My sister went thru something similar last year her husband had been on disabilty for years and then passed away. She got the full amount he was getting which I think is same as what he would of got at retirement age. But she had to be at her full retirement age to get the full amount too!!

Just wanted to add some clarification here. For SSDI recipients, their disability benefit amount is equal to what their full retirement benefit would be. So if your husband is receiving SSDI and passes away, you would be eligible for 100% of his benefit amount if you claim at or after your FRA. However, there's also something called the RIB-LIM rule that could potentially limit your survivor benefit if you've already claimed your own retirement benefits early. The calculation gets complicated, but basically, if you take your own retirement early and then later become eligible for survivor benefits, there might be a reduction to your survivor benefits. Another important point - you can actually switch between benefits. Many people don't realize this, but you could take your reduced retirement benefit at 64, then when your husband passes away, switch to the full survivor benefit at your FRA. Or vice versa.

Not a new rule at all - RIB-LIM has been around for decades! It stands for Retirement Insurance Benefit LIMitation. It only applies in specific scenarios where someone claims their own retirement benefits early and later becomes eligible for survivor benefits. The Social Security Administration doesn't always explain it clearly, and many claims representatives don't fully understand how it works either. What makes it confusing is that you CAN receive whichever benefit is higher, but the survivor benefit might be reduced if you've taken your retirement early. The reduction formula is based on your age when you started receiving your own benefits and your age when you claim survivor benefits.

I've been trying to get answers from Social Security about almost this EXACT scenario for weeks!!! Called probably 15 times and get disconnected or wait for hours. Every rep tells me something different about survivor benefits. One said I'd get 100% if I wait till FRA, another said it would be reduced no matter what because of some rule I didn't understand. So frustrating!!!!

This is all so overwhelming. I think I need to actually speak with a SSA representative before making any decisions. But from what I'm gathering, the safest approach might be to wait until my FRA to claim anything? Or would it be better to take my own retirement now and then switch to survivor benefits later if needed?

Everybody talking about FRA but what is it exactly?? Is it 66 or 67? My aunt said hers was 66 and 2 months which makes no sense

I tried that Claimyr service someone mentioned above after being on hold with SSA for like 2 hours last week. It actually worked! Got through to someone who knew what they were talking about in like 5 minutes. They explained all about how survivor benefits work with SSDI. Worth checking out if you need answers fast.

Yeah there is a fee, but honestly after spending DAYS trying to get through and getting nowhere, it was worth it to me. Got my questions answered in one call instead of trying for weeks. Time is money too ya know!

Here's a summary of what we've discussed to help clarify: 1. If you're married at least 9 months before your husband passes away, you qualify for survivor benefits 2. If your husband passes away while on SSDI, your survivor benefit would be 100% of his disability benefit amount IF you claim at your Full Retirement Age or later 3. If you claim your own retirement benefit early (before your FRA) and later switch to survivor benefits, the RIB-LIM rule might reduce your survivor benefit amount 4. You can choose to receive either your own retirement benefit OR the survivor benefit, whichever is higher (not both simultaneously) 5. You can switch between benefits - for example, take your reduced retirement now and switch to survivor benefits later, or take survivor benefits first and switch to your own retirement later if it's higher The best strategy depends on the specific benefit amounts in your case. I recommend speaking with a knowledgeable SSA representative who can review both your records.