I am 64 and been on disability for 16 years and I am thinking of getting remarried to someone who is 69. I was married previously for 10 years and my ex-spouse passed 2 years ago. My question is should I wait to pull the widow benefits at age 66 granted that they are higher than my current benefit? My next partner pulled social security benefits at 62 so there are no spousal benefits they are entitled too if I was to get remarried. In addition, there benefit is 500 dollars lower than mine so I was thinking of getting remarried so that they could receive widow benefits. However, do they receive my ex spouses widow benefit if something were to happen to me? Am I able to delay my individual benefit until 70 while claiming widow benefits? Does this allow my individual benefit to grow? Thanks
Hi,
No, it would not pay you to delay taking survivor benefits. As long as you are already entitled to Social Security disability benefits on your own record, if you become eligible for a widow(er) or surviving divorced spousal benefit prior to full retirement age, any reduction for age that is initially assessed for starting benefits before full retirement age (FRA) is removed effective with the month you reach FRA (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0300615350). This is a rather arcane rule, so don't be surprised if the people you talk to at Social Security aren't aware of it. You might even want to print out the reference and take it to the Social Security office with you.
Your disability benefits will automatically convert to unreduced retirement benefits when you reach full retirement age. You can't avoid the conversion in order to receive just survivor benefits instead. This is due to a rewrite of the rules done by Social Security in late 2014 (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/social-securitys-christmas-pres...).
If you remarry and die before your husband, he would be eligible for a total of up to the full amount that you are eligible for on your own record, but not any part of the survivor benefits you receive on your former husband's record.
Best, Jerry
