can a husband apply for his wife monthly allotment if it is more than his when she die.

Hi,

The answer is a qualified yes. In most cases in which a husband and wife are receiving benefits on their own records, the surviving member of the couple is eligible to receive the higher of their two benefit rates (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/survivors/ifyou2.html). However, a widow or widower would not be able to receive any benefits that their deceased spouse may have been receiving on another person's record.

For example, say a widow is receiving benefits on a deceased spouse's record and then remarries after reaching age 60. The widow can continue to receive her widow's benefit in that event, but those benefits could not be passed along to her new husband in the event of her death.

Best, Jerry