Usually, I like to focus my column around one topic. But today I’ll just open up my email inbox and pull out a hodgepodge of questions.
Q: I am 64 years old. I plan to start my Social Security at age 66. My husband is 62 and has been getting Social Security disability benefits for several years. His benefit rate is higher than mine will be by $210. If he dies, will I get widow’s benefits or will I not qualify because he isn’t getting real Social Security?
A: I think I’ve said a hundred times in this column that disability benefits are just as “real” as any other kind of Social Security. So when your husband dies, you will get widow’s benefits. Assuming you are over 66 when that happens, you will get an extra $210 in widow’s payments tacked on to your retirement benefit.
Q: I am 74 years old and still working. I am in good health and plan to continue working as long as I can. And I have no intention of signing up for my Social Security until I can fully maximize by benefits. At what age will be?
A: You are already well past that age. Once you reach age 70, there is no point in delaying filing for your Social Security. By that age, you have already received the maximum “delayed retirement credits” that you are due.
They cap out at 32 percent at age 70. In other words, had you filed for benefits at age 70, you would have gotten 132 percent of your full retirement benefit. And if you file now at age 74, you will get the same 132 percent rate. So you should file a Social Security claim right away. You will be able to get a maximum of six months retroactive benefits.
Q: I was married to my first husband for 28 years. I have been married to my second husband for 12 years. My first husband just died. Can I get widow’s benefits on his Social Security account?
A: No. As long as you are married to husband No. 2, you can’t get any Social Security from No. 1. But if your marriage to No. 2 ends (through death or divorce), then you can claim widow’s benefits from your first husband — if they pay more than what you might be due from your second husband.
Q: I worked for the Union Pacific railroad for 15 years. But I spent most of my life (more than 30 years) working at jobs where I paid into Social Security. When I went to file for my Social Security retirement, the clerk told me my claim would be sent to the Railroad Retirement Board for processing. What gives?
A: For those readers who don’t know, railroad workers pay into the Railroad Retirement system, not into Social Security. But the two programs mimic each other in almost all respects — except that railroad retirement includes a second tier of benefits that are designed to resemble a private defined pension plan. Anyone with more than 10 years of railroad service is considered vested in the railroad pension system. So your claim is shipped to the Railroad Retirement Board so they can determine what, if any, tier-two benefits you might be due. They also make sure your Social Security claim is processed and your benefits are properly paid.
Q: I am 59 and soon to turn 60. I am getting $1,850 in my own Social Security disability. My husband died unexpectedly last month. His full age 66 benefit was $2,230. I talked to someone at SSA and she told me I should file for disabled widow’s benefits because they are always higher than regular widow’s benefits. Is this true?
A: Please bear in mind that I don’t know all the facts about your case. But if you were told that disabled widow’s benefits are higher than regular widow’s benefits, that’s just not true.
The earliest a widow normally can get benefits is age 60. But a disabled widow can file as early as age 50. A disabled widow gets a rate equal to 71.5 percent of her husband’s full benefit. That is the same rate payable to a 60-year-old widow. 71.5 percent of your husband’s benefit is about $1,600. And that is less than you are getting in your own Social Security. So there is no point in filing for disabled widow’s benefits. But if you wait until you are 66 years old, at that point, you can switch to 100 percent of your husband’s Social Security.
Q: I’m confused. My husband and I are both in our late 80s. He is in poor health and may not live much longer. I don’t know what my widow’s benefit will be. He started his Social Security when he was 64. I took mine at 62. He gets $1,850. I get $1,345. Someone told me that when he dies, I will get 100 percent of his benefit. But another person told me I will only get 92 percent. Who is right?
A: Well, in a way, they both are. I know that sounds confusing, but I will explain. But first of all, let me assure you that when he dies, your own benefit will be supplemented up to 100 percent of what he was getting at the time of death. So you will keep getting your own $1,345 rate, and then you will get an extra $505 in widow’s benefits to take you up to his $1,850 level. Thus, the first answer was right. I think what the second person was trying to say was that by taking benefits at age 64, your husband is getting about 92 percent of his full benefit rate. In other words, his $1,850 check represents 92 percent of his full retirement amount. And when he dies, you will get that same 92 percent rate. But you’re going to get 100 percent of his 92 percent rate. Does that make sense? The bottom line is that you will get an extra $505 in widow’s benefits when he dies.
