Q: I am covered by CSRS and my wife is covered by Social Security retirement. If she dies first, I would collect very little in survivor benefits from Social Security due to the offset rules. However, if I die first, are her Social Security benefits affected by my CSRS survivor benefits? Her projected Social Security pension is about $1,000 per month. My projected CSRS pension is about $6,000 per month.
A: If you were to die first, she would be able to receive both a CSRS survivor annuity and her own Social Security benefit, with no reduction in either.
