by AMAC Certified Social Security Advisor Russell Gloor Association of Mature American Citizens Ask Rusty - Surviving spouse benefits explained Dear Rusty: If I file at age 63 what percentage does my wife receive if I die? Does this percentage change if I wait to file closer to my full retirement age? And what does my wife receive if I die before I file for my benefits? Signed: Planning AheadDear Planning: When you file for your own Social Security benefit will affect the survivor benefit your wife is entitled to as your widow. If you claim at age 63, her benefit as your widow will be based on your age 63 amount. If you wait longer to claim your own Social Security, your own benefit will be higher and so will your wife’s entitlement as your survivor. In other words, your wife’s benefit as your widow will be based on the amount you are receiving when you die, and the longer you wait to claim your own Social Security, the higher your wife’s survivor entitlement will be.Exactly how much your wife will get monthly as your widow depends also on her own age when she claims her survivor benefit. If you were to die first, your wife can claim a reduced survivor benefit as early as age 60 but doing so will result in a benefit which is 28.5% lower than it would be if she waits until her own full retirement age (67) to claim. Survivor benefits do not reach maximum until the survivor reaches full retirement age (FRA) and, if claimed before that, the benefit will be reduced by 4.75% for each full year early, to a maximum reduction of 28.5%. So, although your wife’s base survivor benefit will be the actual (100%) amount you were receiving when you die, her monthly survivor payment will be reduced if she claims the survivor benefit before her FRA. It is an actuarial reduction of .396% less survivor benefit for each month prior to FRA the survivor benefit is claimed.If you wait to file for your own benefit but die before you actually start collecting your benefits, your wife’s entitlement as your widow will be based upon the amount you were entitled to when you died. She will not lose her survivor benefit - it will be based upon the amount you were entitled to when you died, even ...