I am retired on disability and receive SS Disability. Does my wife receive the same beneift amount that I am receiving at the time of death?

Q. I am retired on disability and receive SS Disability. Does my wife receive the same beneift amount that I am receiving at the time of death?

A. When you were approved for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, your benefit was calculated as if you had already reached retirement age. A benefit to your widow will be calculated the same as the widow of any other Social Security retiree.

If your wife is full retirement age or more before being widowed, her widow benefit will be the full benefit you would receive if still alive. If she is less than full retirement age, her widow benefit will be reduced for each month of early retirement. A widow who begins a widow benefit at age 60, for example, receives 71.5 percent of her deceased husband’s full benefit.