Hi
I was married for 15 years, have been divorced 14 years, not remarried. I am now 63, my ex spouse is 73. My financial advisor says I need to know what my survivor's benefit would be if my ex spouse predeceases me in order to determine the best time to file for my own SS benefit.

I know that if I file for my own SS before my FRA, I would receive a reduced amount of my own FRA. Social Security tells me that if I file for my own SS before my FRA, that will also reduce the amount of survivor's benefit I would be entitled to in the future, EVEN if I switch to survivor's benefit AFTER I reach my FRA. My advisor says that it doesn't matter if I file for my own SS before my FRA; as long as I file for survivor's benefits AFTER I reach my FRA, I should be entitled to 100% of my ex spouse's benefit at the time of death.

Thanks!!

Hi,

It sounds like what your financial advisor told you is basically correct. Even if you start drawing reduced benefits on your own record prior to full retirement age (FRA) you could still potentially receive an unreduced survivor rate if you start drawing survivor benefits at FRA or later. You couldn't actually switch from drawing on your own account to drawing on your ex's record, though. Instead, if you're drawing on your own record and you later become eligible for a higher survivor rate you would continue to receive your own benefit rate plus the difference between that amount and your ex's benefit rate.

For example, let's say you are receiving reduced retirement benefits in the amount of $1000 monthly and your ex is drawing an unreduced monthly Social Security retirement benefit rate of $2000. If your ex dies after you've reached FRA you could then potentially qualify for an excess surviving divorced spousal benefit of $1000 (i.e. $2000 - $1000), which would be added to your own reduced rate to give you a combined monthly benefit of $2000.

Whether or not filing for your benefits early makes sense depends largely on your and your ex's relative benefit rates and your maximum ages of life. You may want to strongly consider using our software ( https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully explore and compare your options so that you can choose the best possible strategy for claiming your benefits.

Best, Jerry