What social security benefits does a surviving spouse receive?

If you are eligible to receive Social Security benefits when you retire, your spouse, children, and other dependents may be eligible to receive survivor benefits when you die. The amount of survivor benefits varies depending on the dependent's relationship with the deceased. As a surviving spouse, you may be eligible to receive survivor benefits if you meet certain requirements.

A current or former spouse of a deceased beneficiary receives survivor benefits on the deceased's record as early as age 60. A qualifying spouse must have been married to the deceased worker for at least nine months for a current spouse or at least 10 years for a divorced spouse. The age-of-marriage rule does not apply if the surviving spouse or former spouse is caring for a minor child of the deceased worker.

Who is eligible for survivor benefits from Social Security?

A family member of a deceased Social Security beneficiary may be eligible to receive survivor benefits if they depended on the deceased worker for financial support. Eligible dependents may include a spouse, ex-spouse, child, or parent.

Spouse

A surviving spouse of the deceased worker can receive survivor benefits if the marriage lasted at least nine months. However, this requirement is waived if the spouse is caring for a minor child of the deceased spouse. An ex-spouse may be eligible to receive the same benefits as the surviving spouse if the marriage lasted at least 10 years.

The spouse or ex-spouse can receive survivor benefits starting from age 60. If the spouse has a disability, they can receive benefits starting from age 50. If the surviving spouse or ex-spouse is caring for the deceased spouse's minor child who is under 16, or has a disability and receives child's benefits, they can take survivor benefits at any age.

Child

A child of the deceased worker may be eligible for survivor benefits if they are age 18 or younger and unmarried, or 19 years if he/she is a full-time student in primary or secondary school. A disabled child who became disabled before age 22 may also qualify for Social Security survivor benefits.

Parents

Parents of the deceased worker may be eligible for Social Security survivor benefits if they relied on the child for at least half of their financial support. They must be at least age 62 to receive survivor benefits. Step or adoptive parents may also qualify to receive survivor benefits on the deceased worker’s record if they became the deceased child’s parents before the child turned 16.

How does Social Security work when a spouse dies?

A surviving spouse of a deceased Social Security worker is eligible to receive the full benefit 100% of the deceased spouse’s benefits. The surviving spouse must have reached the full retirement age to receive 100% of the deceased spouse’s benefits; if the deceased spouse claimed benefits before their full retirement age, the surviving spouse will receive reduced benefits.

If the surviving spouse was receiving spousal benefits on the late spouse’s work record, the benefits will automatically change to survivor benefits when the death is reported. If the surviving spouse had not started receiving benefits at the time of their spouse's death, they must apply for survivor benefits by calling the toll-free Social Security number or visiting the local Social Security office.

A surviving spouse can claim survivor benefits starting from age 60 if the marriage to the deceased spouse lasted at least nine months at the time of death. However, the marriage-age requirement does not apply if the death was accidental or occurred in the line of US military duty, or if you are caring for the deceased’s minor child under 16 or a disabled child receiving child benefits. If the surviving spouse is disabled, and the disability started within 7 years of the spouse’s death, they can claim survivor benefits at age 50.

Can I collect my deceased spouse’s benefits and my own benefits at the same time?

If you are eligible to receive survivor benefits on your deceased spouse’s records and retirement benefits on your own record, you cannot receive both benefits. Instead, you will receive the higher of the two benefits.

If you are receiving retirement benefits based on your work history, and you are eligible for survivor benefits, you can apply for survivor benefits on the deceased spouse's record. Social Security will compare the retirement benefits you currently receive and the survivor benefits you are eligible to receive. If the survivor benefits you are entitled to receive are higher than your retirement benefits, Social Security will pay you the higher benefit.

How can a surviving spouse maximize benefits?

If you are a surviving widow or widower, you can maximize your benefits in two ways:

You are taking retirement benefits

If you are already receiving retirement benefits on your record, you can only apply for survivor benefits on your deceased spouse's record if the benefits you are entitled to receive are higher than your retirement benefits. Social Security cannot combine both benefits; you will receive the higher of the two benefits.

You have not applied for retirement benefits

If you are eligible for retirement benefits and survivor benefits, you can apply for one benefit now and switch to the other benefit later. The benefit to take first or delay depends on which benefit is bigger. If the retirement benefits you qualify to receive are lower than the survivor benefits, you can take the retirement benefits starting from age 62, and switch to survivor benefits at the full retirement age when you are eligible to receive 100% of the deceased spouse’s benefit.

If both retirement benefits and survivor benefits are equal, you can start taking survivor benefits starting from age 60 and leave your retirement benefits to grow. You can collect survivor benefits from age 60 to 70, and start taking retirements starting from age 70 when it maxes out.

‍