MW My late husband had a higher Social Security benefit. We both claimed at 62. Can I get more on his record?

By Alessandra Malito

Early benefit claiming can affect your ultimate payment amount, though not always for survivors

Survivor benefits aren't necessarily automatic for Social Security recipients.

Dear Help Me Retire,

My husband was 82 when he passed away. He began receiving Social Security benefits at age 62. I am 79 and also began receiving Social Security benefits at age 62. His monthly benefit was higher than mine. Do I qualify to receive the same benefit amount that he was receiving when he was alive?

Wondering Widow

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Dear Wondering Widow,

As a widow, you do qualify for benefits that unmarried individuals are not privy to, such as a step-up in payment amount if your deceased spouse's benefit was higher than yours. But, as is often the case with Social Security benefits, the amount you ultimately get depends on a few factors, including how much you both were eligible to receive, what kind of benefit you're already receiving, and when you and your husband filed for benefits.

Whether your current benefits are based on your own record or your husband's benefits matters. Early claiming results in a permanently reduced amount from what you would have received at your Full Retirement Age $(FRA)$, and that impacts your own retirement benefit amount or what you'd receive under spousal benefits. At 62, you both claimed retirement benefits at the earliest eligible age, so you both would have seen the deepest reduction in what you could have received had you waited until your FRAs.

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This rule does not apply to survivor benefits, however. I'll get to that in a moment. If what he was receiving at the time of his death is more than what you are receiving now under your own record, then yes, you likely would qualify for a higher benefit.

Depending on when he passed away, you may have had money left on the table that you missed out on claiming. The agency typically automatically switches a person's spousal benefits to survivor benefits if he or she was already receiving spousal benefits. If you never claimed spousal benefits, you'll have to file an application with the agency to begin receiving that increased benefit. That could work in your favor.

And when you do reach out to the agency, ask about retroactive benefits. According to the Social Security Administration, "You may be entitled to monthly benefits retroactively for months before the month you filed an application for benefits," the SSA says. "For example, full retirement age claims and survivor claims may be paid for up to six months retroactively."

Spousal benefits vs. survivor benefits

The Social Security Administration implemented a new rule under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 that changed the way married people could receive spousal benefits. Prior to the law, spouses could receive spousal benefits while delaying their own retirement benefits so that the latter would grow through delayed retirement credits over time. Under the new law, individuals who turned 62 after Jan. 2, 2016, and were eligible for both their own benefits and spousal benefits would receive the higher of the two amounts when claiming. They could no longer choose which benefit to receive, as they could before, when filing an application.

The "deemed filing" rule, as it is known, does not apply to survivor benefits, however. So, if you never claimed spousal benefits and the agency therefore did not switch you to survivor benefits, that benefit is unaffected by your own early claiming. What matters most is the age at which you claim survivor benefits. To receive the maximum benefit for which you are eligible, you simply must have reached FRA at the time you claim survivor benefits to avoid any penalties for early filing. At age 79, you have already met that requirement.

There's no judgment in claiming early, by the way. Some people simply can't afford to wait until FRA to receive benefits, while others may have personal reasons for starting as soon as possible, such as a family medical history that suggests longevity may not be on their side. Whatever the reason, it is still important to understand the impact that decision will have on your monthly retirement, spousal, or survivor benefits.

Get in touch with the Social Security Administration as soon as possible. If you do qualify for a higher monthly benefit, you don't want another month to pass without receiving that additional money.

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Have a question about your own retirement savings? Email us at HelpMeRetire@marketwatch.com

-Alessandra Malito

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June 02, 2026 15:38 ET (19:38 GMT)

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