Widow's Benefits

My mother is 82 yrs old and cannot ask this question unless we both go into the Social Security office in Portland, Maine. Hopefully, you can give us a quick answer? Mom has received SS survivor's benefits after my father, Fred passed in 1990. She then re-married in 2001at age 66 and continued to collect my Dad's SS benefits. So Mom received approximately $1,000 per month and her new husband, Jerry received his SS benefits of about $1,000 per month. Recently, Jerry passed unexpectedly - will my Mom have to live on $1,000 per month from now on?

Asking for my mother (77 years old): Dad (80 years old) just passed away in November 2016. Dad's SS check was $1600 per month. Mom was a stay at home mother most of her life. Late in life she worked for a state college earning a $600. per month pension. She has files for survivors benefits and just found out she will receive $500.00 per month. When I use the SS estimator and take 2/3rds of her $600.00 ($400) and subtract that from what Dad was getting.... Mom should get $1200 per month for the survivor benefits??? How am I getting this number?? What do I not know??

Hi Larry. Social Security is so confusing. My husband died in 1998 at the age of 48. This year I reach my full social security retirement age of 66 in March. I am still working. I remarried after I became 60 years of age but that marriage only lasted about 1.5 years. I visited the social security office in McKinney, TX the last week of December 2016. I filed for benefits on my deceased husband. They told me that I could file early as long as my income for the first 2 months of the year did not exceed the limit of $41,880 and it certainly will not.

Hi Larry,

I am about to turn 60 on Feb 1st. My husband has been gone sadly 11 years. I was told that I can apply for his social security benefits now that I am turning 60 even though I still work & plan to till 70.

Is that so and if so he served during the Vietnam war - does that have any significance either when applying if this is true.

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

Hi Larry my husband passed recently. He had ss and gov retirement. I am 89. I only have my retirement not ss. I am suppose to be getting his retirement plus my own. Do I get and therefore have to apply for his ss since i do not have ss?
Thank you .
Tina

Hi Tina,

I'm very sorry for your loss.

As a 67 yr old male I filed and suspended. My 66 yr old wife is receiving spousal benefit. If I die prior to beginning to collect benefits, will my wife receive a survivor benefit. Will her total amount be 100% of what my amount would be at time of death, or would it be amount it would have been at FRA? Thank you!

Hi,

Hello Larry,

My husband dies this and and I am receiving his Social Security survivor benefits. I just received an Insurance check from Sun Life, will this check affect my SSI benefits.

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

My husband retired a few yrs after full retirement age and receives 1170/mo SS. He is 15 yrs older than me. I started receiving SS in June at age 62 in amount of 1122/mo. If he dies will I automatically start receiving 1170/mo?

Hi,

If you're at least age 66 at the time he dies, then yes your total benefit amount would go up to his full rate. If he died before then, you would likely be best off to wait until age 66 to file for widow's benefits.

Best, Jerry

My Mom is 95, we think she is receiving social security under her own work record.
Her husband died in 2000, and always made more money then her. Should she be getting social security under his record? and would it be more money?
As she is 100% bedridden, and any extra money would be used to make her more comfortable in her final days. would we be able, as her children to help her with this?

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear about your mother's health problems.