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I recently explained some facts about Social Security spousal benefits and upon doing so discovered there were some questions related to the linkage of spousal and survivor benefits. I delved deeper into survivor benefits and found some interesting facts about them as well.
Survivor vs spousal benefits. Survivor benefits are separate from spousal benefits. While spousal benefits are capped at 50% of the workers full retirement amount (FRA), survivor benefits can pay up to 100 % of what the deceased was receiving or entitled to receive. Taking a reduced spousal benefit earlier than FRA does not reduce the survivor benefit you may receive later.
Survivor Benefits
Marriage Duration. A current spouse must have been married at least 9 months to qualify for survivor benefits. A divorced surviving ex-spouse must have been married at least 10 years.
Flexibility in choosing benefits. Survivors can choose which benefit to take first. You may claim a survivor benefit as early as age 60 (50 if disabled) and allow your own benefit to grow until age 70,or claim your own benefit as early as age 62 and file for the maximum survivor benefit at FRA. This flexibility allows you to maximize long-term income.
Effect of the deceased spouse’s filing age.
If the deceased filed early, your survivor benefit is protected by an 82.5% floor of their FRA when you claim at your own FRA.
If the deceased died before filing and before FRA, your survivor benefit is based on 100% of their FRA amount if you claim at your FRA or later.
If the deceased died after FRA without filing, you inherit any delayed retirement credits they earned up until the month of death.
Remarriage rules. Remarriage after age 60 (or age 50 if disabled) does not affect eligibility for survivor benefits from a deceased spouse. Remarriage before age 60 generally ends eligibility.
Maximizing your benefit. Your spouse’s filing age sets the ceiling for your survivor benefit, but you can still maximize what you receive by waiting until your own FRA to claim the survivor benefit. To reiterate, taking a reduced spousal benefit earlier than FRA does not reduce the survivor benefit you may receive later.
James, another great article. Please confirm my understanding of the following: in a case very similar to what Linda describes below BUT the spouse who died had NOT started claiming Social Security yet, and the younger, surviving spouse is not yet claiming S.S. either: if the surviving spouse claims S.S. a bit early at 65 {while waiting for her FRA (67) to claim the higher survivor benefit}….here is the question: she can only claim her own S.S. and is NOT eligible for the potentially higher spousal benefit because the higher earning spouse has passed away. Correct?
You are correct can only claim own benefit. Can claim reduced survivor benefit now or wait to FRA to maximize it.
Thank you, James.
James, thanks for this and your prior post. Great info.
Thanks for your research, James. It’s a complicated question – determining how to maximize one’s benefits. My deceased husband retired at 60. He had significantly higher lifetime earnings than I did. I worked until 64 1/2. Doug did extensive research on the Social Security question, then filed for the spousal benefit on my account when I retired. He intended to wait to file on his account until 70, when we both would both have switched to his (higher) account. Unfortunately, he died six months before his 70th birthday. I quickly switched from my benefits to the higher survivor’s benefit, However, I first asked, believe it or not, if I delayed switching until he would have turned 70, could I collect a higher benefit? The two people I spoke to were very kind, offering condolences and agreeing to check. The answer, no surprise, was that you can’t continue to accrue benefits after you have died. A word to the wise: the Treasury Department immediately reclaimed Doug’s final monthly payment, deposited the month he died. I knew payments are made the month after they have been “earned,” so this was an error. The mistake was immediately acknowledged with apologies, but it still took two months to be restored. Despite the best laid plans, losing one’s spouse comes, not only with grief, but plenty of paperwork.
My condolences. Can’t imagine dealing with Social Security after that situation but at least in the end they did the right thing.
Thank you, James, and everyone I spoke to, whether from Social Security, insurance companies or banks, was always polite and helpful.
If you remarry before age 60, but also divorce before 60, are you still ineligible for survivor benefits?
Good catch. No if divorce then still eligible for survivor benefits from prior marriage.
Thank you. I suspect my own benefit (taken at 70) is greater than a survivor benefit, but you never know.
The people at Social Security could probably answer this question, Kathy. They were polite and helpful when I called them after my husband’s death.
Thanks Linda. My ex is still among the living, so not a pressing issue. I was impressed with the Social Security people I dealt with, but that was a decade ago.