Q & A
Does the timing of my husband’s retirement affect my widow’s benefit?
Complete Question: I have been blessed and did not have to work because my husband was such a good provider. This means I don’t have my own Social Security benefit, but I am entitled to a spouse’s benefit when he files. He is thinking about retirement now, but is worried that I will not have enough to get by if something should happen to him since my spouse’s benefit is only half of his. Will the amount of money I get as his spouse change if he retires at an earlier age than 66?
Answer: Actually, it does. As you already know, you only get half of his Social Security benefit at the most, and that is only if you file for a spousal benefit at your full retirement age of 66. But the rules are a little different for a surviving spouse (widow) benefit. If he were to pass away before you, you would be entitled to as much as 100% of his benefit at the time of his death. So what this means is that if he takes a reduction due to filing early, then your widow’s benefit will be based on the reduced amount. The opposite is also true – if he delays retirement and gets delayed retirement credits, you will receive the full amount which includes the delayed retirement credits. So here are some examples of what could happen if his projected age 66 benefit is $1,000:
1) He files at age 64, resulting in a reduced benefit amount of $866. When you file for a widow’s benefit, you will get $866/month.
2) He files at full retirement age of 66 and gets a Social Security benefit of $1,000/month. When you file for a widow’s benefit, you will also get $1,000/month.
3) He files at age 68, resulting in 2 years of delayed retirement credits for a monthly benefit amount of $1,160. When you file for a widow’s benefit, you will get $1,160/month.
There are a couple important things you may also want to know: The figures above are based on you filing for a widow’s benefit at your full retirement age (66) or later. If you file early (as a widow, you can opt to get a survivor’s benefit as early as age 60), you will have to take a reduction on his benefit. However, if you file after age 66, you will NOT get delayed retirement credits because they do not apply to surviving spouse benefits. Furthermore, if you are already getting spousal benefits at the time of his death, the age you took spousal benefits will have no effect whatsoever on the survivor/widow benefit. Any reduction you may receive will be based on when you get the survivor benefit, not the original spousal benefit.