Hi Larry. I have your software and really like it but I have a question. I am 65 and was the high earner compared to my wife who is 59. Your software recommended I claim at 70, which I plan on doing, and for my wife to claim for 1/2 my benefit at 67. My question is: If I were to die before claiming my benefit, at what age would my wife claim in order to receive the highest benefit (ie the amount I would receive had I lived to age 70?

Hi. If you die before reaching age 70, your wife couldn't be paid your full age 70 no matter when she applies for widow's benefits. Here's how it works. If you die before reaching your full retirement age (FRA), your wife's unreduced widow's rate would be calculated at 100% of your primary insurance amount (PIA). A person's PIA is equal to their Social Security retirement benefit rate if they start drawing their benefits at full retirement age (FRA).

If you die between FRA and age 70, your wife's unreduced widow's rate would be calculated by adding the delayed retirement credits (DRC) that you earned up to the the month of your death to your PIA. In other words, she could get up to the full monthly amount that you would have collected if you had started drawing your benefits effective with your month of death. The only way that your wife's unreduced widow's rate would reach your full age 70 rate is if you live at least until age 70, and if you don't start drawing your benefits before then.

Assuming that you don't start collecting your benefits prior to FRA, your wife would need to wait until the month she reaches FRA in order to receive her unreduced widow's rate. If she starts collecting widow's benefits prior to FRA her rate will be reduced for age. Your wife's widow's rate wouldn't get any higher if she waits past FRA to claim her widow's benefits, though, so she wouldn't want to wait past her FRA to claim widow's benefits if you die before then.

Best, Jerry