Social Security Survivor’s Benefits – Consider Your Options

By Attorney T. Samuel Azinger

If you have lost your spouse but haven’t yet reached full retirement age, be sure you aren’t leaving significant Social Security benefits on the table before making final decisions about your claim.  There may be an opportunity for increased Social Security benefits and so it’s prudent to review the details for your options.

A surviving spouse can typically elect to receive the larger of their benefit or their late spouse’s benefit.  However, consider the following choices prior to making a decision regarding Social Security benefits after a spouse dies.[1]

1. If surviving spouse’s full Social Security benefit will be larger than deceased spouse’s benefit, consider:

If the surviving spouse is over age 60 and has not already started their benefit, they can elect to take the benefit of their spouse at a reduced rate based on the age of the surviving spouse.  Once the surviving spouse reaches full retirement age, they can elect to switch to their own larger benefit.  

Example: John dies at age 70 and his full retirement benefit is $2,000/month.  John is survived by Debra, age 62.  Debra has not started her benefit and expects that when she reaches full retirement age she will have a benefit of $3,000/month.  Debra may start taking a survivor’s benefit that is based on John’s benefit reduced based on her age (let’s estimate $1,500/month).  Debra could receive that $1,500/month until she reaches full retirement age.  Upon reaching full retirement age she can contact Social Security and request to switch to her own benefit to receive her full $3,000/month for the rest of her life.

2. If surviving spouse’s full Social Security benefit will be smaller than deceased spouse’s benefit, consider:

If a surviving spouse is over age 62, they can elect to take their own reduced benefit (or continue to take their benefit if they already started their benefit).  Once the surviving spouse reaches full retirement age, they can elect to switch to their spouse’s full retirement benefit.

Example: John dies at age 70 and his full retirement benefit is $3,000/month.  John is survived by Debra, age 62.  Debra has not taken an early benefit and expects that when she reaches full retirement age she will have a benefit of $2,000/month.  Debra could elect to receive John’s benefit reduced based on her age (let’s say $2,250) for the rest of her life.  However, Debra also has the option of taking her early benefit (let’s say $1,500/month) until she reaches full retirement age.  Once she reaches full retirement age she can switch to John’s full benefit and receive $3,000/month for the rest of her life.

If you have lost your spouse and have questions about Social Security or other matters related to administering their estate, please feel welcome to contact us to schedule a meeting.

[1] This article does not provide legal advice and should not be construed as a legal opinion. Each person’s individual situation should be evaluated individually based on rules in effect at that time before you make any decisions regarding matters discussed in this article.  This article is for illustrative and conversational purposes only.