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The Social Security Administration has a lot of useful information available at its website: www.ssa.gov .
Go to that site. On the right hand, in the dropbox for "Questions", choose "Benefits", and click the "GO" button. (I don't put the direct URL because it is extremely long.) You may even be able to estimate your benefits here: http://www.ssa.gov/onlineservices/ .
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Answered over 3 years ago.
Social Security Lawyers in Lockport, NY.
When a spouse is living, Social Security always pays a person FIRST from their own earnings, then checks if any more can be paid on top of that from their spouse's earnings. If your spouse is deceased, either benefit can be chosen. Often the lower benefit is taken at a reduced rate, then the person will switch to the higher benefit at their full retirement age without a reduction. If someone is in this situation (can qualify on their own record and as a widow/widower), they just check with Social Security for the exact figures and have them to a "break-even" calculation to show when it is advantageous to do this.
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