Social Security survivor versus retirement benefits

You can file for a survivor benefit (usually beginning as young as age 60) and later switch over to your retirement benefit (usually beginning at age 62), or vice versa. You don’t get both — just the larger of the two. Your survivor benefit reaches its maximum amount if you wait until full retirement age (FRA) to file. Your retirement benefit reaches its maximum amount at age 70.

If your retirement benefit at age 70 will be larger than your survivor benefit, you probably should file for the survivor benefit right away and then file for the retirement benefit at age 70. However, if your survivor benefit at FRA would be larger than your retirement benefit at age 70. then you should file for your retirement benefit right away and switch to your survivor benefit at your FRA.