Social Security & Medicare Q&A: Second Marriages and Social Security Benefits

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Social Security & Medicare Q&A: Second Marriages and Social Security Benefits

Q: My mother lived with my stepfather for 15 years and took care of him till his death. They were only married about 7 or 8 years. Does she qualify for Social Security widow benefits, and how much difference will retiring at age 60 or 62 make?

A: To collect Social Security survivors (widowï¿½s) benefits your mother must have been married for at least nine months. She must also:

Be a surviving spouse age 60 or over, or a surviving spouse age 50 or over who became disabled within 7 years of your stepfatherï¿½s death.
Be unmarried at the time of application for benefits or has not remarried until after reaching age 60. If she remarries after age 60, she may still be entitled to widowï¿½s benefits if that benefit is higher than what she would receive based on her own work record or a spousal benefit based on a new husbandï¿½s record.

If entitled, your mother would be allowed to start a widowï¿½s benefit at age 60. If entitled to a benefit based on her own work record, she could not start her own retirement benefit until age 62.

Generally, the earlier your mother starts benefits the lower the benefit will be. Social Security reduces early benefits to offset the assumed longer period of time in which they would be received. If your mother delays benefits and continues to work, she will receive a higher benefit as a result of a delayed retirement credit, and perhaps because she is able to add years of employment earnings to her record.

If she discovers she must continue working after starting benefits, her benefits could be reduced if she earns over a certain amount, which is only $11,640 ($970 per month) in 2004. To complicate matters, full retirement age, the age at which she could claim unreduced benefits and earn as much as she wants, is rising.

For example, if your mother will not attain age 62 until 2006, then the age at which she can receive full, unreduced widowï¿½s or retirement benefits is 66. If she starts benefits at age 60, they might be so low that she would be forced to work, especially just to afford health insurance. Then if she earns over the government allowed amount, her benefit would be reduced.

I suggest you check the Social Security website at www.ssa.gov or call the Social Security toll free number at 1-800-772-1213. Your mother can request an estimate of benefits that can help her make the decision about the best time to start benefits.

August 2004