Hi Larry
Can widow survivors benefits be retro active? I received survivor benefits just before I turned 62. I was made aware that I qualified while at the SS office checking on my own SS benefits.
So I signed up for the survivor benefits.. And have since started getting my own benefits at 64.
I missed out on nearly 18 months of survivor benefits…

Hi. Yes, but it doesn't sound likely that retroactivity would have been possible in your case. The only way that widow's benefits can be paid for months prior to the month in which the application for widow's benefits is filed is if the monthly benefit rate would not be reduced for age if retroactivity is applied. In those cases the widow can potentially be paid up to 6 months retroactively. The only exception to the rule above is if the widow applies for benefits in the month immediately after month of their deceased spouse's death, in which case they can be paid starting with the month of death.

The only times that paying a widow retroactively wouldn't cause their monthly benefit rate to be reduced for age is if the widow applies for benefits after the month they reach full retirement age (FRA), or in certain cases when RIB-LIM is involved. RIB-LIM is a widow's benefit calculation method that only applies if the deceased worker collected reduced Social Security retirement benefits prior to their death. Since you apparently applied for widow's benefits shortly before age 62, which was well before your FRA, the only way that you might have been eligible for retroactive benefits is if your deceased spouse started collecting reduced retirement benefits at age 62 or fairly soon thereafter. If he did, you could try checking with a Social Security claims representative or technical expert to ask them to check your records to see if retroactivity should have been applied in your case based on the RIB-LIM exception (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0200204030).

Best, Jerry