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Nan Lesnick discusses survivor benefits
(By – Nan Lesnick)
Social Security survivor benefits can be complicated, but it’s important to understand because decisions you make now can influence future benefit amounts.
Two factors influence the amount of the survivor benefit. The first factor is the age at which the deceased spouse originally claimed his own retirement benefit. If he originally applied for Social Security before full retirement age, the survivor benefit will be limited to his actual benefit or 82.5 percent of his primary insurance amount (PIA), whichever is higher. If he applied at his full retirement age, the survivor benefit will equal 100 percent of his PIA. If he applied at 70, the survivor benefit will include delayed credits. Read more…