MW My pension enables me to delay Social Security benefits. What if I want survivor benefits sooner?

By Alessandra Malito

'I have a higher monthly pension benefit until my Full Retirement Age of 67'

"I receive a higher monthly pension benefit until my Full Retirement Age $(FRA)$ of 67, after which the benefit is reduced." (Photo subject is a model.)

Dear Help Me Retire,

My husband, 78, has been taking Social Security since he was 62. I am turning 64 in February, and I retired in June 2025. I receive a pension from my previous employer.

I opted for the pension option of "level income." This means I receive a higher monthly pension benefit until my Full Retirement Age (FRA) of 67, after which the benefit is reduced.

We decided I would not take Social Security until at least my FRA (although choosing the level-income pension option does not prohibit me from taking Social Security benefits earlier).

If my husband were to pass away before I reach my Full Retirement Age, could I receive a Social Security survivor benefit based on his record, even though I would not have started my own benefit?

And could I then switch to my own benefit at my 67? Alternatively, could I defer my own benefit until age 70 and continue receiving the survivor benefit until then?

Potential Survivor

See: My wife moved to Mexico. Can she still get Social Security survivor benefits when I die?

Dear Potential Survivor,

This is a tricky situation because you signed a pension contract that affects how you may claim Social Security, and that type of contract is not universal.

The leveling option you mentioned is a helpful way to support retirees who leave the workforce early, allowing them to avoid drawing down their personal retirement savings too quickly while they wait to claim Social Security.

In some cases, an option like yours, which allows retirees to delay claiming until at least FRA, can be even more advantageous. It not only preserves personal retirement savings but also avoids locking in a permanently reduced Social Security benefit due to early claiming.

That said, pensions are governed by contracts, and the agreement you signed outlines exactly what you are - and are not - permitted to do.

For example, some leveling options provide a higher payout only until age 62, the earliest age at which someone can claim Social Security retirement benefits. Others, like yours, extend the higher payout until FRA, which may be four or five years later than age 62.

"From what we see working with clients, Social Security leveling can be helpful, but it's easy to misunderstand," said Joon Um, a certified financial planner at Secure Tax & Accounting, Inc.

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"It's basically a pension paying more upfront to bridge you to Social Security, then stepping down once Social Security starts." There is a catch: Once you elect leveling and start Social Security at FRA, "you typically can't later delay your own benefit to 70 for a higher check."

Survivor benefits are treated differently from a person's own retirement benefit or a spousal benefit. When someone files for benefits with the Social Security Administration, the deemed filing rule applies. This rule means the person is considered to be filing for all benefits they are eligible for at the same time, such as both a retirement benefit and a spousal benefit. Filing for only one of those benefits is no longer allowed. Survivor benefits, however, are not subject to the deemed filing rule.

The answer to your question lies in the contract you originally signed. You should go back and review the pension-payout rules you have agreed to, and if it doesn't explicitly state anything about survivor benefits, it never hurts to reach out to the administrator and ask for clarity.

Some people do claim survivor benefits before they claim their own retirement benefits so that the retirement benefits can continue to grow until they reach their maximum limits at age 70, as you've suggested you'd be interested in doing.

"Survivor benefits can still work in some cases, but it depends on the pension plan's rules and how the leveling option was set up," Um said. "It's not automatic and needs a close look."

Whatever the answer, you might have been locked into your decision to level your pension payouts with Social Security benefits. On the bright side, you've been able to prevent a permanently reduced Social Security benefit by being able to wait until your FRA.

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Have a question about your own retirement savings? Email us at HelpMeRetire@marketwatch.com

-Alessandra Malito

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January 31, 2026 08:03 ET (13:03 GMT)

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