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Widows and Social Security

Fern Modena

Fern Modena

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I think most of you know I'm a widow. Some of you even had the pleasure to meet Jerry. But I digress.

I've been collecting social security with a widow's pension since just after I turned 60. Now I am about to reach "full retirement age," so I went to Social Security today to see if they could reevaluate my status. You can't do this over the phone, unfortunately, it has to be done in person. After waiting in a long line, just to get a number, then waiting the proper person to help you. I wasn't doing anything else, and all told I waited a bit less than two hours, so it wasn't too bad.

And it was fruitful! Starting this month I get $600. more a month! Glad I decided to check.

I'm mainly posting this so that other widows will remember to do what I did if they had reasonably high earning years.

Fern
 
Hi Fern,

Thanks for sharing. Did you start with widow's SS? Are you then switching to the other (your own)? at full retirement? Would it have made a difference if you had started with yours and switching to widow's SS at full retirement?

SP
 
I started with a Widow's pension, which you can get at age 60 (if your spouse is deceased, of course). Then, when I became full retirement age (which in my case was 66) I switched.

You can't do it the other way, and it wouldn't make sense to do so. The main benefit of this is for someone who is already retired but not yet collecting, and between 60 and 65. I don't know if you can start a widow's pension as late as 62, and let your own pension go to full retirement age, but if you can it might be of value to some.

I gained a goodly amount by doing what I did.

Fern
 
Ok this may be a stupid question, but Fern can you collect both now that you qualify for the full social security benefit?
 
Fern, I am not familiar with SS with pension but widow's SS is discounted when not taken at full retirement age. Hence the question is whether it would have made more financial sense to start self's at 62 and then switching to widow's SS at full retirement age.

Lisa - you can't draw both.
 
Lisa,
You can only collect one, generally the larger one, although if I lived in a family of people who lived long lives, I might have waited to age 70 instead, where I would have collected more than double what I get with the widow's pension. But that's a story for another day.

And there is no such thing as a stupid question. If you are smart enough to think of it, you deserve an answer.

Fern

LisaH said:
Ok this may be a stupid question, but Fern can you collect both now that you qualify for the full social security benefit?
Click to expand...
 
As for widow's pension being discounted, that isn't necessarily true. Or, it depends how you look at it anyway. If your spouse were already collecting, and you apply for widow's SS at age 60, you will get 100% of whatever they were collecting. If they began collecting at FRA (full retirement age), then you will get 100% of that amount. If they retired at 62, you will get 100% of that amount. It is *always* 100% of the deceased's payment. You can't increase it in any manner once they've died. But you can collect it for two more years than you'd be able to collect on your account, since you can begin collecting a widow's pension at age 60 but must wait until age 62 to collect on your own account.

Fern

sptung said:
Fern, I am not familiar with SS with pension but widow's SS is discounted when not taken at full retirement age. Hence the question is whether it would have made more financial sense to start self's at 62 and then switching to widow's SS at full retirement age.

Lisa - you can't draw both.
Click to expand...
 
I was not aware of widows pension at 60. I have friends that have collected earlier then 60 as widows but they had children under 18.

Now their children are over 18 (one still in college) but she will be 60 next year, can she collect again?

Boy, there is sooooooo much to know!
 
I think your friend can, it wouldn't be fair if she couldn't. She should call up Social Security and check, though. And there might be an offset if she is working, don't know.

Yeah, there is a lot to know. The best way, of course, is if your spouse doesn't die. Unfortunately it isn't always possible.

Fern

GrayFal said:
I was not aware of widows pension at 60. I have friends that have collected earlier then 60 as widows but they had children under 18.

Now their children are over 18 (one still in college) but she will be 60 next year, can she collect again?

Boy, there is sooooooo much to know!
Click to expand...
 
I really DO think that every soon-to-apply SS recipient (especially if theirs isn't a straight forward apply/collect at FRA- then just apply online) should go into their local SS office, plan on spending a couple of hours with a representative, and have your questions answered. BEST is to make an appointment, to avoid those numbered tear-off tickets where they call out "Now serving number (about 20 lower than yours)".

I get to go to our SS office to file SS paperwork on behalf of my DW's clients (She does SS disability filings for VERY needy clients). Occasionally the wait can seem interminable. Bring a book or video game. Bring your ID and leave the pocketknife in the car.

Jim
 
And if you go in to Social Security, check the website first so that you have all the paperwork with you that you need. Besides an original or certified copy of your birth certificate (NOT a notarized copy) you need a social Secutity card, marriage/divorce papers if there has. Been name changes, and more. Lots more. You also need a voided check (or maybe a deposit slip?) to show where the direct deposit should go.

Fern
 
I was also not aware of a widow's pension at 60. Thank you for sharing.
Sorry for your loss.

Wish you well and celebrate his life in a small way - $600 is a nice/significant amount.
 
Thanks, Fern for letting people know about this important topic. My sister is also receiving a widow's pension. I know that she will also convert when she reaches full retirement age. It's such useful information to have!

Sue
 
I think they deliberately write it in a way to be confusing, because that is what I thought before I originally applied as well. I thought I'd only get a reduced percentage of what my dh had been collecting. But no, that's not true. He had been collecting a reduced amount, since he began collecting at age 62. And what I got was 100% of his reduced amount. And that was at age 60 and one month.

Fern

sptung said:
Fern,

I wonder if your circumstances might have been different. Here is the link from ss site that indicates that unless the survivor draws the survivor's benefits at full retirement age, the amount would be reduced.

http://www.ssa.gov/planners/survivors/ifyou2.html
Click to expand...
 
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