hi Larry and Team, You folks are Awesome! Thank you.

My question: If my wife takes her spousal benefit prior to her FRA (67), does that same age carry over as the age (for benefit reduction purposes) when she takes survivor's benefit?

To that point, say my wife takes spousal benefits at 62 (and she has no SS of her own) then I die when she is 66, Is her survivor benefit based on age 62 or 66? Similarly, if I die when she is older than her FRA will her survivor's benefits be subject to any reduction due to having taken spousal benefits "early"?

I just spoke with an SSA representative who did not know the answer to that question but gave me a reply that I am totally unfamiliar with: they said that on my death my wife (now widow) would get benefit consisting of two parts: (i) her usual spousal benefit based on having taken this at age 62 plus (ii) another portion consisting of the survivor benefit (and it's unclear to me now as to what they said that this amount would be). Is this really the case? It sounds like how spouse's get their own SS benefit first, if any, and then they get an additional spousal benefit as 50% of the NH's benefit, reduced by their own (the spousal applicant) benefit (again, reduced for taking benefits early).

Can you clarify please? Thank you.

Hi. No. Survivor benefit rates are calculated based on the survivor's age at the time they start drawing their survivor benefit. Whether or not they previously collected reduced retirement or spousal benefits is irrelevant.

Therefore, even if your wife starts drawing spousal benefits at age 62, if she's at least full retirement age (FRA) when you die then her survivor benefit rate would not be reduced for age. But, if your wife claims spousal benefits early and if you die before she reaches her FRA, her spousal benefit will automatically convert to a survivor benefit effective with your month of death. In that event, your wife's survivor rate would be reduced for age based on her age at the time you die.

You state that your wife doesn't have enough work credits to collect benefits based on her own earnings history, in which case what you were apparently told by a Social Security representative is wrong. Spousal benefits can only be payable during the lifetime of the worker on whose record they are based. So, if your wife is drawing spousal benefits when you die, those benefits will stop and she'll be paid survivor benefits instead.

What it sounds like the representative was describing is what happens when a surviving spouse is collecting their own benefits when their spouse dies. In that case, if the deceased spouse's benefit rate is higher than the survivor's own benefit rate, the survivor continues to be paid their own benefit plus a partial widow's benefit equal to the difference in the two benefit amounts. That results in the survivor receiving a combined benefit amount equal to the higher survivor rate.

The best filing strategy for you and your wife depends on a number of different variables, so you should strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully compare and analyze all of your various options so that you can determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry