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Full Retirement Age for Survivors
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If you were born in 1959, your full retirement age for survivors benefits is 66 and 6 months

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Remember, the earliest a widow or widower can start receiving Social Security survivors benefits based on age will remain age 60.

If you start receiving survivors benefits at age

  • 60, you will get 71.5% of the monthly benefit because you will be getting benefits for an additional 78 months.
  • 62, you will get 80.3% of the monthly benefit because you will be getting benefits for an additional 54 months.

Note: If you're receiving widows, widowers, or divorced widows or widowers benefits, you can switch to your own retirement benefit as early as age 62.

Reminder: Your full retirement age for retirement benefits may not match your full retirement age for survivors benefits.

Full retirement age goes from 65 to.... 66.... 67
 

How Your Social Security Survivors Benefit is Reduced

If you start getting benefits at age*

The survivors benefit you will receive is reduced to

60   71.5%
60 + 1 month
71.9
60 + 2 months
72.2
60 + 3 months
72.6
60 + 4 months
73.0
60 + 5 months
73.3
60 + 6 months
73.7
60 + 7 months
74.1
60 + 8 months
74.4
60 + 9 months
74.8
60 + 10 months
75.2
60 + 11 months
75.5
61
75.9
61 + 1 month
76.3
61 + 2 months
76.6
61 + 3 months
77.0
61 + 4 months
77.3
61 + 5 months
77.7
61 + 6 months
78.1
61 + 7 months
78.4
61 + 8 months
78.8
61 + 9 months
79.2
61 + 10 months
79.5
61 + 11 months
79.9
62
80.3
62 + 1 month
80.6
62 + 2 months
81.0
62 + 3 months
81.4
62 + 4 months
81.7
62 + 5 months
82.1
62 + 6 months
82.5
62 + 7 months
82.8
62 + 8 months
83.2
62 + 9 months
83.6
62 + 10 months
83.9
62 + 11 months
84.3
63
84.7
63 + 1 month
85.0
63 + 2 months
85.4
63 + 3 months
85.8
63 + 4 months
86.1
63 + 5 months
86.5
63 + 6 months
86.8
63 + 7 months
87.2
63 + 8 months
87.6
63 + 9 months
87.9
63 + 10 months
88.3
63 + 11 months
88.7
64
89.0
64 + 1 month
89.4
64 + 2 months
89.8
64 + 3 months
90.1
64 + 4 months
90.5
64 + 5 months
90.9
64 + 6 months
91.2
64 + 7 months
91.6
64 + 8 months
92.0
64 + 9 months
92.3
64 + 10 months
92.7
64 + 11 months
93.1
65
93.4
65 + 1 month
93.8
65 + 2 months
94.2
65 + 3 months
94.5
65 + 4 months
94.9
65 + 5 months
95.3
65 + 6 months
95.6
65 + 7 months
96.0
65 + 8 months
96.3
65 + 9 months
96.7
65 + 10 months
97.1
65 + 11 months
97.4
66
97.8
66 + 1 month
98.2
66 + 2 months
98.5
66 + 3 months
98.9
66 + 4 months
99.3
66 + 5 months
99.6
66 + 6 months
100.
*If your birthday is on the 1st of the month, we figure your benefit as if your birthday were in the previous month.

Click here for a chart of survivors retirement benefits and reductions based on different years of birth.

 
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Last reviewed or modified Friday Aug 15, 2008
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