My girlfriend is 62. Can she claim her late husband's full Social Security benefit - or does she have to wait?

By Quentin Fottrell

'Her husband passed away 10 years ago. They had been married for more than 20 years.'

"My understanding is that she may be able to claim her own Social Security retirement benefit when she turns 62 and then switch." (Photo subject is a model.)

Dear Quentin,

My girlfriend is 62. She is retired after working for many years as a teacher and adviser, and she will be eligible for Social Security retirement benefits. She is wondering whether to claim those now or later.

Here's her dilemma: Her husband passed away 10 years ago. They had been married for more than 20 years at the time of his death. He worked as an attorney for many years and had significantly higher lifetime earnings than she did.

My understanding is that she may be able to claim her own Social Security retirement benefit when she turns 62 and then switch to her late husband's survivor benefit when she reaches her full retirement age of 67.

Is that correct? What if she remarries?

Trying to Help

Related: 'I claimed Social Security at 62': At 76, I'm working at Walmart. Why do I still owe payroll taxes?

You can email The Moneyist with any financial and ethical questions at qfottrell@marketwatch.com. The Moneyist regrets he cannot reply to questions individually.

If her own retirement benefit is smaller than the survivor benefit, claiming her own first and switching later makes sense.

Dear Trying,

You raise some interesting questions for your girlfriend, and anyone else out there who has lost a spouse and wants to make sure they maximize their benefits.

She may be eligible for a survivor benefit equal to the amount her late husband was receiving - or was entitled to receive. So the amount her late husband locked in during his lifetime is likely to result in a higher Social Security benefit for her if she waits to take that benefit at her survivorship full retirement age 67 - or delays until age 70 to get an even larger benefit. If she claimed survivor benefits before her full retirement age, the benefit would be permanently reduced, so the switching strategy makes sense.

As you probably know, people receive an amount that is roughly 30% lower than their full retirement benefits if they claim at 62 versus their full retirement age (which is 67 for those born in 1960 or later), while they would earn approximately 8% more each year if they chose to wait until age 70.

Switching can work both ways, too. If she claimed her survivor benefits at age 62, she would not receive 100% of her late husband's benefit. To receive the maximum survivor benefit, she should wait until her own full retirement age of 67. If her own retirement benefit is smaller than the survivor benefit, claiming her own first and switching later makes sense. If her husband's benefit was smaller, she could claim his now and switch to her own at 70.

It only gets more complex. If your girlfriend's husband died before ever claiming his Social Security retirement benefit, she would likely be eligible for survivor benefits based on the amount her husband would have been entitled to at his full retirement age. However, if he claimed his retirement benefit before his full retirement age and later passed away, your girlfriend's survivor benefit could be affected by the age at which he claimed. In other words, the survivor benefit is not always simply based on the FRA amount.

Don't miss: 'I'm in my peak earning years': I'm working beyond 70. Will that help increase my Social Security?

Remarrying at 60

If you and your girlfriend decided to marry, she could still receive survivor benefits based on her late husband's work record, because she would be marrying at age 60 or older. If she had remarried before age 60 (or age 50 if she is disabled), she would not be eligible to receive survivor benefits on a deceased spouse's record as long as that later marriage continued. But given that your girlfriend is already 62, remarriage now would not affect her eligibility for her late husband's benefits.

There is another wrinkle to these rules that would apply if she had remarried earlier and then decided to divorce: "If you remarry before you reach age 60 and that marriage ends, you may be able to get benefits on your previous deceased spouse's record," the Social Security Administration says. "Your benefits may begin the first month in which the later marriage ends if all entitlement requirements are met." You can read more here.

And if she were already receiving survivor benefits and decided to remarry after 60? They would likely continue uninterrupted. And if you, as her new husband, were also eligible for Social Security, she could eventually have three potential benefits to choose from: her own work record, a survivor benefit based on her late husband's record and a spousal benefit on your work record. It's likely that the survivor benefit would be the best choice, because a person can only claim up to 50% in spousal benefits.

Life can get complicated, and widows and widowers can find love again. The Social Security Administration is more flexible regarding survivor benefits than spousal benefits: Unlike spousal benefits, where a spouse can claim up to 50% of their husband's or wife's benefits as long as certain conditions are met but where switching is no longer an option, eligible survivors can file for one type of benefit and later switch to the other.

That means the switching strategy might be an attractive one for your girlfriend. And if you ever want to pop the question, it won't hurt her options.

Related: I am a 63-year-old semiretired physician. If I saved $2 million for retirement, should my Social Security become optional?

The Moneyist regrets he cannot respond to letters individually. Check out The Moneyist's private Facebook group, where members help answer life's thorniest money issues. Post your questions, or weigh in on the latest Moneyist columns.

More columns from Quentin Fottrell:

'It's heartbreaking': My brother claimed Social Security at 70. He died from cancer after one payment. Why wait to claim?

'I'd hate to end up with an unexpected tax bill': I'm 73 and still work full time. Can I avoid paying taxes on my Social Security benefits?

I will definitely claim Social Security early. Why do so few people talk about the elephant in the room?

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-Quentin Fottrell

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08-02-26 1200ET