Full question: Does my younger spouse need to wait for her FRA in order to claim my benefit as surviving spouse? She will claim early at age 62 in 2031 while I am waiting to claim at age 70 in 2025.

Hi there,

If you were to pass away prior to your spouse claiming her retirement benefits, she will be eligible to receive survivor benefits as early as age 60 and her own retirement benefits as early as age 62.

Both of those benefits will be less than the maximum possible amounts if collected early.

In most cases, her survivor benefit will be the maximum amount at her FRA and her retirement benefit will be the maximum amount at age 70.

Unlike other benefits, survivor benefits can be claimed first and higher retirement benefits at a later date, or vice versa. We recommend working with an RSSA for couples with large age differences to understand and plan for this benefit.

Warm regards,
Martha

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