Ask Larry

Can I Collect My Husband's Social Security?

Can I collect my husband Social Security
He have been deceased for 30 years and he made more than i?

Hi. You can't collect your husband's actual benefits, but it sounds like you might be able to qualify for survivor benefits.
To be able to collect widow's benefits, though, you'd need to be a) at least age 60, or at least age 50 and disabled, and b) be unmarried or married and your current marriage began when you were age 60 or older, and c) you aren't already drawing benefits based on your own work record that would be higher than your widow's benefit rate.

I don't have enough information about you or your deceased husband's work history to be able to give you any filing advice, so you may want to contact Social Security to discuss your options with them. You could also use our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to analyze your options, but you'd need to find out from Social Security how much your potential widow's rate would be in order to get the best results.

Best, Jerry.

Category: 
Posted: 
Jun 30 2021 - 11:56am
MaxiFi software running on a laptop
Get What's Yours!
Discover tens of thousands in extra retirement dollars with Maximize My Social Security software!
  • Find your maximized strategy
  • Unlimited what-ifs
  • Step-by-Step filing instructions
  • Our software's lifetime-benefit increase for an illustrative couple earning $65K each and planning to take retirement benefits at 62.

    Results will differ based on your specific case and filing strategy.

Getting Started is Easy
Web-based software. Works on ALL browsers. No download.