If I know how much Social Security Disability my spouse was receiving when he died, how would I figure out what my widow's benefit would be?
His disability checks were $920 per month.
He died in September 2015 at the age of 53.
We were married for over ten years when he died.
I am currently 53.
How would I figure out what my widow's benefit would be at age 60? (the earliest I could claim)
How would I figure out what my widow's benefit would be at age 67? (my full retirement age, when I would not be subject to the earnings test, I assume)
Thank you so much.

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

That's difficult question to explain. In your case when you file for widow's benefits your rate will be calculated using 2 different methods, and the higher of the 2 rates will be used. One method basically uses your husband's primary insurance amount (PIA) which is likely the same as his full disability rate plus any cost of living increases that have occurred since his death. His PIA will be adjusted to include all future Social Security cost of living increases, though, so it's difficult to guess what that figure might be 7 years or more in the future.

The other calculation that could apply is a window's indexing (WINDEX) method, which essentially adjusts your widow's rate to keep pace with future increases in the average annual wage base. So, that method too can only be roughly approximated at this point in time.

Whichever of the above calculation methods is used, though, if you wait until full retirement age (FRA) to apply for your widow's benefits you would receive 100% of the higher of a) your husband's PIA, or b) the WINDEX PIA. However, if you file for widow's benefits at age 60 you would only receive 71.5% of the higher of those 2 amounts.

Your best filing strategy depends on whether or not you are insured for benefits on your own record, and your own benefit rate. The maximization software available on this website should be able to help you determine your likely best overall filing strategy.

Best, Jerry