Dear Liz: My wife and I are essentially the same age (62), high school sweethearts married 44 years. She had a severe stroke at 57 and I became her full-time caregiver. She began receiving Social Security disability benefits about nine months later, at 58. I began taking my Social Security retirement benefits this year. I had a heart attack at 51 and am doubtful I’ll live much past 75 or so. My wife was always the higher-earning spouse so her benefits (equivalent to retiring at 70) are double mine.
First, if my wife passes before I do (which is a toss-up), am I entitled to survivor benefits? Secondly, will my Social Security benefits simply be replaced with the amount my wife currently receives?
Answer: When your wife reaches her full retirement age of 67, her disability benefit will become her retirement benefit. You referenced age 70, when benefits typically max out, but that’s only if they haven’t been started yet.
When one of you dies, the larger of your two benefits will become the survivor’s benefit. The smaller benefit will end.