Survivor Benefits

[teejay53]

appreciate all the help i receive here and i am back with another question.

if filing for spouses ss survivor benefit. are you supposed to wait and file on or after you reach 60 years of age or file before?

i asked a ss rep and she seemed not to know the answer.

already drawing on spouses survivor ss disability benefit and have abt a year til 60.

thank you for your help.

[john999]

When I retired on SSD I got more than if I had retired at 62 and less than if I had retired at 66. I waited two years for medicare. Even if through no fault of your own you retire early the SSA wants you to pay a price because of "moral hazard". They would rather sick people work themselves to death and retire with full benefit at 66. If any out there can actually live just on SSA I congratulate them. I can't.

John

[teejay53]

answer to the following:

Well, your answer still isn't absolutely clear to me ... is the 'disability check' from Social Security, or is the disability check from your deceased spouse's ex-employer?

my disability check is from ss and i am drawing off my deceased husband's ss record.

[Philip Rogers]

You are probably drawing the maximum allowed, on your late husband's acct. Since it's a disability check, it will probably switch to the SS retirement acct, automatically, when you reach your retirement age and the amount should remain the same. The advantage to disability is that SS pays at the full retirement rate, when the disability is awarded.

pr

answer to the following:

Well, your answer still isn't absolutely clear to me ... is the 'disability check' from Social Security, or is the disability check from your deceased spouse's ex-employer?

my disability check is from ss and i am drawing off my deceased husband's ss record.

[teejay53]

thank you for your help.