This week, instead of concentrating on just one topic, Iβm going to dig into my mailbag and answer random questions. I will try to keep my answers short and sweet so I can squeeze in as many questions as my column space will permit.
Q: I took widowβs benefits at 60, intending to switch to my own at 70. When I was about to turn 70, I called Social Security to make the switch. The man on the phone talked me into taking six months retroactive benefits. So I didnβt get my full age-70 rate. That was about a year ago, and Iβve been losing sleep about it ever since. Did I make a huge mistake?
A: Stop worrying and get a good nightβs rest. You did what you did and thatβs that. And in my opinion, you didnβt make a mistake. Had you started your benefits at 70, you would have received an ongoing monthly benefit equal to 132 percent of your full retirement-age rate. By taking benefits six months early, your ongoing rate will be 128 percent of your FRA benefit. So you lost 4 percent. But you gained the six months of retroactive benefits. I hope you took that money and had a good time with it.
Q: I am 60 years old and have been getting disability benefits for about five years. When can I start getting some of my ex-husbandβs Social Security? He is 66 years old and has been on Social Security for many years.
A: Once you are 62 years old, you will be potentially eligible for divorced wifeβs benefits. At that age, you could get your benefit supplemented up to about one-third of your exβs full retirement-age benefit. In other words, if one-third of his rate is more than what you are getting now, you will get the difference. If there is no difference, meaning if your benefit exceeds one-third of his, then you could wait until age 66 to file when you could get supplemented up to one-half of his full-benefit rate. If that is still less than youβre already getting, then youβll just have to wait until he dies. At that point, assuming you are 66 or older when it happens, youβll get the difference between your rate and 100 percent of his benefit.
Q: I am 63 years old and have been getting disability benefits for about five years. When can I get real Social Security? And how do I apply for it?
A: As Iβve written a hundred times in this column, you are getting βreal Social Security.β A Social Security disability benefit is just as real as a Social Security retirement benefit. In fact, a Social Security disability benefit pays the same rate as your full retirement-age benefit. When you turn 66, you will be automatically switched from the disability program to the retirement program. But again, the money amount remains the same, so the changeover will be transparent to you. Although you will get a letter from Social Security that essentially says this: βEffective with your 66th birthday, you will be considered a retired person and not a disabled person.β
Q: My grandmother is 92 years old. I have become her caretaker. Am I eligible for any kind of caretaker benefits from her Social Security account?
A: No. Social Security does not pay any special benefits to caretakers. However, if your grandmother is incapable of handling her own Social Security affairs, and if you are indeed handling all of her caregiving and financial needs, then you should apply with the Social Security Administration to be her βrepresentative payee.β If you are so appointed, your grandmaβs Social Security checks will be sent in your name to your bank account to use on her behalf.
Q: I am 69 years old. I get $1,348 per month from my own Social Security. I was married just one time. I was married Nov. 21, 1974, and divorced on Nov. 1, 1984. My ex-husband married several more times after he divorced me. Is there any way I can get any extra Social Security from his record? I sure could use the money.
A: Iβm sorry, but you arenβt due any extra Social Security from your ex. The law is very specific. It says you must have been married at least 10 years to qualify for benefits as a divorced spouse. Or to be more precise, the law says your marriage must have reached its 10th anniversary. And if the dates you gave me are accurate, you came up just 20 days short of reaching that anniversary. Iβm afraid that means you also come up short in trying to get extra Social Security benefits.
Q: I was single all of my life and thought I would die that way. But out of the blue, I met a man and fell in love, and we got married last year. He is 84, and I am 79. He was married once before for about 30 years. He divorced his first wife 10 years ago, and she is getting part of his Social Security now. His Social Security check is almost twice as much as mine. He isnβt in the best of health, and I donβt think he will live the 10 years required for me to get any widowβs benefits after his death. But would I at least qualify for his burial benefit? Or will that go to his first wife?
A: The 10-year marriage duration rule only applies to divorced spouses. You only need to be married to him for nine months to qualify for benefits on his account. So you certainly will be due widowβs benefits when he dies. And there is a chance you are even due some extra wifeβs benefits now. You should call Social Security at 800-772-1213 to find out. You could get those benefits even though his ex-wife is already getting something on his account. And when he dies, you each would be due widowβs benefits. You donβt offset each another. And when he dies, that little $255, one-time death benefit would be paid to you.
