My husband died in 2001. His income for last 20 yrs averaged $225,000.plus a year. The 15 yrs. prior were good earning years but not as much. He received SS for a year before his death. Social security said they didn't have record of 3 of his earning years. Could this have an effect on his SS check? If so, then my check (I get his SS) could be effected also. I receive much less than most of the people I know. Is there a way to check if he received the correct amount? Thank you for any help you are able to offer.
Marilyn

Hi Marilyn,

I'm sorry for your loss.

Yes, if some of your husband's earnings are missing from his earnings record, that could have a bearing on his benefit rate and in turn on your widow's benefit rate. There's probably not much that you can do about it, though, unless you have proof of the missing earnings (e.g. W-2's, tax records).

If your husband received reduced retirement benefits prior to his death, that would limit how much you can receive as a widow, which may explain why you aren't getting as much some people you know. I don't have enough information to say for sure, though. You could try contacting Social Security and asking them to do a manual re-computation of your benefit rate. I believe that Social Security does get the benefit amounts right in almost all cases, however.

Best, Jerry