Social Security Survivors Benefits Explained
Reading Time: 1 MinuteLast Updated: November 2, 2023
We are here for surviving family members when a worker dies. In the event of your death, certain members of your family may be eligible for survivors’ benefits. These include widows and widowers, divorced widows and widowers, children, and dependent parents.
The amount of benefits your survivors receive depends on your lifetime earnings. The higher your earnings, the higher their benefits. That’s why it’s important to make sure your earnings history is correct in our records. That starts with creating your personal my Social Security account.
A my Social Security account is secure and gives you immediate access to your earnings records, Social Security benefit estimates, and a printable Social Security Statement. The Statement will let you see an estimate of the survivors benefits we could pay your family.
You may also want to visit our Benefits Planner for Survivors to help you better understand Social Security protections for you and your family as you plan for your financial future.
Please visit our website or read our publication, Survivors Benefits, for more information. You can also help us spread the word by sharing this information with your family and friends.
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Tags: my Social Security, my Social Security account, Social Security benefits, survivors benefits
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Dawn Bystry, Associate Commissioner, Office of Strategic and Digital Communications
Deputy Associate Commissioner, Office of Strategic and Digital Communications
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Frank O.
My Sister just passed recently. She has a 14yr old son. Is he entitled to survivor benefits?
A.C.
Hi, Frank. We are sorry to hear about your loss. When a person dies, their minor children may qualify for survivors benefits as long as they are under age 18 and unmarried. For more information about survivors benefits, check out our publication, How Social Security Can Help When A Family Member Dies. We hope this helps.
norma g.
hi i just receive death benefits for my husband they said that i will receive only $382 per month his benefits was $1,3650 per month which it should be 82,2 0/0 percent of his benefits i receive retire
A.C.
Hi, Norma. We are sorry about your loss. For your security, we do not have access to private information in this venue. We ask that members in our Blog community work with our offices with specific questions. You can call us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., for assistance. You can also contact your local Social Security office. We hope this helps.
Shirley C.
I started drawing SS at age of 66. I am now 75. I retired when I was 60 years old as I loss my spouse in 2005. I was 59 and waited until FRA to draw his benefits. I am under GPO and am penalized on my SS benefit that I draw off my spouse’s SS because I did not have enough qtrs to draw my own. When I started drawing his SS he was not deemed 100% military disabled. He died in 2005 and his disability was approved in 2012 which I started drawing DIC from DFAS. They told me to contact SS office about it but never have. Does this effect my benefits since I am penalized because of GPO?
Maureen G.
Where can I get information about how widows benefits work? Everything I’ve read is very generic. My husband passed at 49. He had significant earnings prior to his death. I’m unmarried, currently working and will be 60 this year. Both of us earned enough credits to qualify for social security. I want to figure out if I can retire on one of our records before full retirement age (whichever record is lower) and switch to the higher record at full retirement age.
Rodel I.
Ssdi pending need hearing administrative law judge
A.C.
Hi, Rodel. Good news! You can file an appeal online by visiting our Appeal A Decision web page. You can also file an appeal by calling our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or contacting your local Social Security office. We hope this helps.
Jess J.
My Husband passed away last year and our 7 year old receives survivor benefits. Do I claim this an income on my taxes every year?
C J.
You also should be receiving monthly benefit for caring for his child until they turn 16.
A.C.
Hi, Jess. We are sorry to hear about your loss. For any income tax questions, you will need to contact the IRS. Their toll-free number is 1-800-829-1040 or you can visit their website. We hope this helps.
Nicole
Your child’s benefits are not taxable but if you are receiving benefits for caring for his minor child, yours might be subject to tax ( as I am just now discovering)
Kathy N.
I will be 62 in September. My husband who was 70 and collecting benefits died last month and I will start collecting widow benefits in September. My question is regarding my work earnings while collecting widow benefits:
Is the penalty $1 for every $2 calculated on my Gross earnings before taxes and medical or
my Net earnings which is what I bring home after taxes and medical?
A.C.
Hi, Kathy. If you are younger than full retirement age during all of 2022, we must deduct $1 from your benefits for each $2 you earn above $19,560. Generally speaking, only gross wages you earn from work counts towards the allowable work limits. To learn more about the work limits, check out our publication, How Work Affects Your Benefits. We hope this helps.
Dennis M.
I’m 68 years old and have been receiving survivor benefits as a widower for the past two years. It is my understanding, from my local SSA office, that by electing to forego my own SSB, my benefit will compound by 8% per year until age 70. I then plan to drop survivor benefits and take my benefit. The info on mySSA.gov use to show my personal benefit info, but now only shows my survivor benefit info. So I’m checking to make sure that what I was told by my local SSA office is correct, and what do I need to do to switch over when the time comes?
A.C.
Hi, Dennis. Thanks for your question. Since you are currently receiving benefits, you will need to contact your local office for estimates and to file an application when you are ready. We hope this helps.
Sheila S.
Hello not sure if the route I should take but I will try I spoke earlier to a Mr Tavares from the Lowell Social Security office well I will tell you he was so RUDE over talking me all the time said I was over talking him well my problem was not solved at all I ended up hanging up he got me so upset,sounds like he does not like his job
A.C.
Hi, Sheila. We are sorry to hear about your experience. You can submit feedback by visiting our Contact Social Security page. Once there, select the “Email Us” link. This will take you to the “Email A Question to our Support Team” form where you can complete and submit a compliment, complaint, or suggestion. We hope this helps.
Art R.
My sister just passed away and was on disability . She has a minor child that is also getting some of the disability benefit. We have not touched the current amount recieved and I am going to report and send back as soon as possible . The death occured just a few days ago. My question is that if any part of the amount she gets monthly for the minor child have to also be returned or just the amount that was for her? I am trying to apply for survivors benefits for my nephew.
A.C.
Hi, Art. We are sorry to hear about your loss. Unfortunately, your question is a bit more complex than we can handle in this forum. For your security, we do not have access to private information in this venue. We ask that members in our Blog community work with our offices with specific questions. You can call us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., for assistance. You can also contact your local Social Security office. We hope this helps.