I will begin taking social security when I turn 70 this November. My wife is 10 years younger than me and I expect her to outlive me by at least 25 years. Should she file for her own benefits when she turns 62, since she will file for survivor benefits when I die? Her SSA calculated max benefit at age 66.5 is $1222. My benefit is projected to be $3262.

I have told her if I die before she turns 66.5, live off savings (they are adequate) until she turns full retirement age then file for survivor benefits. Is this good advice?

Thank you.

Hi,

I you knew that you would die before your wife reaches roughly age 78, it would likely be advantageous for her to start drawing her benefits at age 62. You should strongly consider using the maximization software available on this website to run your numbers and determine her best strategy.

If you die before your wife reaches full retirement age, she would need to wait until her full retirement age (FRA) in order to receive unreduced widow's benefits. She would want to draw her own retirement benefits up until FRA in that event. By the way, if your wife's FRA for retirement benefits is 66 & 6 months, her FRA for widow's benefits would be 66 & 2 months.

Best, Jerry