Hi Larry,
I was married to my first spouse over 10 years. Divorced after 17 years. I remarried before I was age 60.

My current spouse began receiving their FRA benefit after age 66 before accidental death at age 67. I was told I am not eligible for spousal benefits due to my younger age of 54 and that I won't be eligible for survivor benefits until at the earliest, age 60 at a reduced rate.

1 year after current spouse died, my former spouse of over 10 years died.

Am I correct that I will be able to draw the appropriate reduced amount on my former spouses benefits when I turn age 60?

May I potentially change to my own benefits if my benefits reflect higher amount than my divorced survivor benefits amount at age 62?

If my divorced survivor benefits end up being higher than my own reduced benefits at at 62, may I continue to draw on my divorced survivor benefits from age 60-67 and then switch to my current spouses survivor benefits at age 67 which will be my FRA?

I am certain my current spouses benefits will be the highest amount of my potential 3 options I believe I have available to me.

Any advice is most appreciated.

Hi. I'm sorry for your loss. Yes, you could file a restricted application for survivor benefits on your first husband's record and later apply for either your own Social Security retirement benefits and/or widow's benefits on your second husband's account. Age 60 is the earliest that you can qualify for either surviving divorced spousal benefits or widow's benefits unless you're disabled, in which case you could potentially qualify as early as age 50.

It sounds like your plan to claim survivor benefits on your first husband's account at age 60 and later switch to higher benefits on your own record or on your second husband's account is probably sound, but the optimal order and timing involved depends on several different variables. Our software is programmed to handle circumstances such as yours, so you should strongly consider using the software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully compare and analyze all of your various options in order to determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry