FRS and Social Security: Can You Collect Both After a Spouse Dies?

After a Florida public employee or retiree dies, many surviving spouses wonder whether they can collect both the FRS pension survivor benefit and Social Security survivor benefits at the same time. The short answer is yes — and since January 2025, the math is better than it's been in decades.

Most FRS Members Are Covered by Both Systems

Unlike some state pension systems that substitute for Social Security, most Florida FRS-covered positions participate fully in Social Security. That means FRS members paid into both the state pension and Social Security through payroll taxes throughout their careers.

As a survivor, this dual coverage means you may be eligible for:

1. A monthly FRS survivor benefit under the Pension Plan (if the retiree selected Option 2, 3, or 4) or a lump-sum distribution from the Investment Plan or DROP
2. Social Security survivor benefits based on the deceased member's Social Security earnings record
3. Your own Social Security retirement benefit, if you have your own work history

These benefits come from separate systems, are administered by separate agencies (Division of Retirement vs. Social Security Administration), and require separate applications. Receiving one does not reduce the other.

The GPO and WEP Are Repealed — This Matters

Before January 2025, two federal provisions — the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) — could reduce Social Security benefits for people who also received pensions from government employment not covered by Social Security.

Most standard FRS positions were covered by Social Security, so GPO and WEP rarely applied to typical FRS members. But they did affect:

• FRS members who had prior service in non-covered positions in other states or federal civil service
• Surviving spouses claiming Social Security survivor benefits based on a spouse's non-covered work history in another system

The Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82), signed into law on January 5, 2025, fully repealed both WEP and GPO retroactively for benefits payable from January 2024 onward. The Social Security Administration issued retroactive lump-sum adjustments starting February 2025 for beneficiaries whose benefits had been reduced.

What this means for FRS survivors today: no federal provision reduces your Social Security survivor or spousal benefit because you also receive an FRS pension. The offsets are gone.

Who Was Affected and What to Do Now

If you previously chose not to apply for Social Security survivor or spousal benefits because you were told GPO would reduce them to zero, you need to file a new application with SSA. The repeal doesn't automatically enroll people who never applied. Ask SSA whether your claim qualifies for retroactive months; eligible survivor claims may be payable up to six months before the application date.

If your Social Security benefits were being reduced under GPO or WEP before the repeal, SSA should have already adjusted your monthly payment upward and issued a retroactive lump sum covering the difference back to January 2024. If you haven't seen an adjustment, contact SSA at 1-800-772-1213.

Filing for Both Benefits

FRS survivor benefits and Social Security survivor benefits require separate claims filed with separate agencies:

FRS: Contact the Division of Retirement at 844-377-1888 (Pension Plan/DROP) or the MyFRS Financial Guidance Line at 1-866-446-9377 (Investment Plan). File Form FST-11b for monthly pension benefits.

Social Security: Contact SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or visit your local SSA office. An eligible surviving spouse or certain children may qualify for the one-time $255 lump-sum death payment; the claim must be filed within 2 years of death. Apply separately for monthly survivor benefits and bring the member's Social Security number and a certified death certificate.

The two applications are independent — filing one doesn't trigger the other, and there's no coordination requirement between the agencies. Don't wait for your FRS claim to be resolved before applying with SSA, or vice versa. File both as early as possible.

Social Security Survivor Benefit Amounts

The monthly Social Security survivor benefit depends on the deceased's earnings record and your age when you start collecting. At full retirement age for survivor benefits, a surviving spouse generally receives up to 100% of the deceased worker's basic benefit amount. If you start collecting before full retirement age, the amount is reduced — for example, collecting at age 60 provides about 71.5% of the full benefit.

You can switch between your own retirement benefit and a survivor benefit at different ages to maximize your total lifetime income. This is separate from your FRS benefit, which is fixed by the retirement option the member selected.

The FRS Survivor Benefits Guide includes a chapter on coordinating FRS and Social Security benefits, with the current post-repeal rules, filing timelines, and a worksheet for comparing your options.

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