My Dad recently passed away. He had claimed his SS benefits at age 70. My mom was told that her spousal benefits would NOT be the exact amount that he was receiving ... instead, she would only receive the smaller amount that he would have gotten if he had claimed earlier at full retirement age (66). Is this correct??

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

No. Assuming that your mother is at least full retirement age (FRA), she should receive the higher of a) her own benefit amount, or b) your father's benefit rate inclusive of the delayed retirement credits (DRC) that he earned by waiting until age 70 to start drawing his benefits.

Best, Jerry