Social Security Matters – Will My Wife’s Survivor Benefit Be Less If She Claimed Her Social Security Early?

Oct. 6, 2024 - JoCo Report

By Russell Gloor, National Social Security Advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Association of Mature American CitizensDear Rusty: I claimed Social Security at 70. However, if she claims her survivor benefit at any time before her full retirement age, it will be reduced for claiming the survivor benefit early.

Thus, when your wife claimed her own Social Security retirement benefit (in her case, age 62) doesn’t matter and doesn’t affect her potential surviving spouse benefit – what matters is her age when she claims her survivor benefit. If she claims before reaching her own FRA, her survivor benefit will be reduced according to the number of months before her FRA that the survivor benefit is claimed.

It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA)...