Larry,
I am pretty sure what the answer to my question will be but since I didn’t find it specifically addressed in Get What’s Yours, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

Can you get spouses widow benefits if you were only married 2 months if he died of unexpected unknown natural causes?
I was denied my second husband benefits. Which is almost 1000 more a month than my first husband,

Hi Larry,
I am 70 and fortunate enough to have been able to wait and claim maximum delayed retirement credit. My spouse is 63 1/2 and does not have enough credit for any personal social security benefit. One of our main goals is to ensure maximize widow benefits by making sure she waits to her full retirement age (66yr 6mo) to claim, should I die before that milestone.

I am financial advisor and have a 62 year old client who is about to marry a woman approximately 40 years younger than him. I have researched this thoroughly and am having difficultly confirming the right answer. If they stay married for at least 10 years, my understanding is that her benefit, assuming she does not have her own work record, will be based on his COLA increased benefit amount at the time he dies.

Can I still collect widows pension if I remary before the age of 60 and get a divorce 3 years later? Is there any penalty if so?

Hi. Yes, as long as you're unmarried at the time you claim widow's benefits, you can qualify for benefits provided that you meet the other requirements (https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/handbook.04/handbook-0401.html). There's no penalty for a subsequent marriage as long as that marriage has ended.

Best, Jerry

I was hoping you can help me. I’m disabled. I’m married to my husband for 5 years now. But I’ve been with him for 11 years now. He has an ex wife. They were married for 18 months and then legally separate. They couldn’t afford the divorce plus they had a son together but they lived in separate houses. She is claiming that when my husband dies. She can take his social security from me. That’s if I don’t die first I’m very sick. I hope you can help me. Thank you Debb

Hi,. I am a 62 y.o female. I am on SSDI and have been for about 6-7 years. My husband, who is 67 now collects his regular amount of s.s, since turning 62 I think. He has cancer and has been on s.s for about 10 years. If my husband passes away before me, will I collect the larger of the 2 s.s amount? (That would be my husband's). Isn't there a widow's disability or something like that. I am disabled, which is why I'm on s.s. We we're victims of identity fraud and lost Everything. We only have our s.s money to live on. I can collect a small amount from UPS when I turn 65.

Hello, my husband (age 67 and 6 months) recently passed away (2 months ago) and he had started receiving his SS at his FRA (born 1955). I had planned to not apply for my SS benefit until age 70 (my birth year is 1955) as my benefit will be larger so we wanted to allow it to grow. As a widow not receiving my own benefit am I eligible for any type of benefit under my husband's credits? Thank you

I am 69 , waiting for 70 to claim social security. I was married for 40 years, divorced 7 years ago, my ex (she never worked outside of home) has been receiving SS since she reached 62.
I am planning to marry again, my fiancé is 62 . If I were to die sooner rather than latter will she be eligible to collect SS as a widow (my benefits will be significantly higher than hers)
If yes how long after the marriage is she eligible ?

My Husband passed away in Sept of last year he was collecting Disability , i will be 60 in Dec of this year i am going to apply for survivor benefits in Sept , my question to you is will i collect his full amount or is it a reduced rate and am i entitled to the Cola increases every year .