Ask Rusty: Will My Wife’s Survivor Benefit Dip After Taking SS Early?

Dear Rusty: I claimed Social Security (SS) at age 70. My wife claimed her own SS at 62, and her earnings were significantly lower than mine. I understand my wife will be eligible to claim my benefit if I pass before she does, but will Social Security reduce that benefit because she didn’t wait until age 65 to claim hers? Signed: Concerned Husband Dear Concerned: Your wife’s benefit as your surviving spouse will be based on two things: her age when she claims her survivor benefit; the amount you were receiving at your death. If she has reached her own full retirement age (FRA) when she claims her surviving spouse benefit, she will get 100 percent of the amount you were receiving when you died (instead of her own smaller SS retirement amount). However, if your wife claims her survivor benefit at any time before her FRA, it will be reduced for claiming the survivor benefit early. Thus, when your wife claimed her own Social Security retirement benefit (in her case, age 62) doesn’t matter and doesn’t affect her potential surviving-spouse benefit — what matters is her age when she claims her survivor benefit. If she claims before reaching her own FRA, her survivor benefit will be reduced according to the number of months before her FRA that the survivor benefit is claimed. That reduction would be about 4.75 percent for each year earlier than her FRA she claims it. But if she claims her surviving-spouse benefit at or after she reaches her full retirement age, she will get the amount you were receiving at your death, instead of her own smaller age 62 Social Security retirement benefit amount. FYI, your wife’s full retirement age is somewhere between 66 and 67, depending on the year she was born (born in 1960 or later, her FRA is age 67). And, just for clarity, your wife’s payment as your surviving spouse will consist of her own SS retirement benefit, plus an auxiliary amount to bring her monthly payment up to what she is entitled to as your surviving spouse.         

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Russell Gloor is a national Social Security advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). The 2.4-million-member AMAC says it is a senior advocacy organization. Send your questions to: ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org. Author’s note: This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained, and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). The NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity.