My wife, 74, collects survivor benefits on her first husband. Can she now claim on her own Social Security record?
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My wife, 74, collects survivor benefits on her first husband. Can she now claim on her own Social Security record?Listen(4 min)Listen(4 min)My wife, 74, began receiving survivor benefits at age 60 from her deceased husband. We married a little over four years later. How can she find out whether her own benefit would be higher and, if so, apply for it? Or is she locked into the survivor benefit from now on? She has never looked into this.Husband of WidowAbout the AuthorAlessandra Malito is a retirement reporter based in New York. She holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™ and Chartered Financial Consultant® designations. You can follow her on Twitter @malito_aliCopyright © 2026 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved.