SS spousal benefit to survivor benefit

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fh2000
Posts: 122
Joined: Thu Sep 02, 2010 7:18 pm

SS spousal benefit to survivor benefit

Post by fh2000 »

A friend with a young wife who never worked asked this.

He plans to withdraw SS at the age of 70. His wife can take spousal benefit when she reaches 62 with discounted amount from his 1/2, or at 67 with all of his 1/2 amount. The question is: if he passes later in life, can the wife switch to survivor benefit with his full amount?
sscritic
Posts: 21853
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 8:36 am

Re: SS spousal benefit to survivor benefit

Post by sscritic »

When your husband dies, you are no longer a wife. You can't collect a wife's benefit if you are not one. However, when your husband dies, you are a widow. You can collect a widow's benefit if you are one. The amount of a widow's benefit is basically what the husband was collecting or would have been eligible to collect (say he dies at 69 before ever starting), reduced for starting early. But then again, if she is young enough to not be 62 when he turns 70, then there is the possibility he will die before she reaches 67 and the full amount will be reduced if she chooses to start collecting immediately.
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