The full retirement age for Social Security – the age in which you get 100% of the program's benefits – has risen over recent years.

So let's say you decide to claim Social Security early and reduce a $2,000 monthly benefit to $1,600. That's the amount of money your spouse will get in the form of survivor benefits. If you wait until full retirement age to lock in $2,000 monthly checks, your spouse's survivor benefits will be that much higher.

Here’s everything you need to know about the SSA Full Retirement Age criteria and other Social Security policy changes in 2025.