Employees of the Social Security Administration have been asleep at the wheel when advising widows and widowers of the enhanced benefits that come with delaying claims to full retirement age, according to a report from the agency's Inspector General.
According to the report, an estimated 11,123 beneficiaries were eligible for higher benefits had they delayed claims until age 70.
The misinformed filings resulted in about $131.8 million in underpayments to beneficiaries age 70 and older, and another $9.8 million in annual payments for those under age 70.
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Nick Thornton
Nick Thornton is a financial writer covering retirement and health care issues for BenefitsPRO and ALM Media. He greatly enjoys learning from the vast minds in the legal, academic, advisory and money management communities when covering the retirement space. He's also written on international marketing trends, financial institution risk management, defense and energy issues, the restaurant industry in New York City, surfing, cigars, rum, travel, and fishing. When not writing, he's pushing into some land or water.
