Survivor Benefits: Four Tips Widows Need to Know
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: November 1, 2022
Months before the first Social Security check was issued in 1940, lawmakers made changes to the planned benefits. Instead of the retired worker’s benefit ending when he died, his widow could collect a survivor benefit for her lifetime. Since then, the eligibility rules for survivors have improved. The age requirements are lower, surviving ex-spouses are eligible, including surviving spouses and partners of same-sex relationships.
One thing that hasn’t changed is that the surviving spouse is often unsure how to start claiming their survivor’s benefits. We have some information to assist you in applying for benefits as a surviving spouse.
If you are a widow (or your ex-spouse died), you may be eligible to receive benefits on your late spouse’s, or ex-spouse’s, Social Security record. How much you receive will depend on your age, the amount of benefits you may receive on your own record, and whether you have dependent children.
You may be entitled to receive a survivor’s benefit under the following circumstances:
- At age 50 if you have a disability.
- At age 60 (the benefit amount will be reduced).
- At any age if you have a child under your care who is under age 16 or who became disabled before age 22.
- If you were widowed and remarried after age 60.
If you’re entitled to retirement benefits – but haven’t applied yet – you have an option. You can decide to apply for either the retirement or survivors benefits first. You can switch to the other (higher) benefit later.
To help make this decision, it’s important to know your Full Retirement Age (FRA). Your FRA is when you can start receiving your full retirement benefit amount. For instance, if you were born between January 2, 1943 through January 1, 1955, your FRA is 66. If you start receiving benefits before your FRA, your benefits will be reduced, generally for as long as you continue to receive benefits.
There are many variables involved. Contact Social Security to discuss which benefit to take first – before applying for either benefit. You want to be sure you’re choosing the option that best fits your financial circumstances.
All the information you need is on the Social Security website. You must apply for survivors benefits over the phone or make an appointment to apply in person. You will also need to provide certain original documents.
Local Social Security offices are helping people in person with or without an appointment. This means staff will take applications in person and they will be available to help and answer any question you may have. I encourage you to call and schedule an appointment in advance to save time and so you have all the documents we need to help you in one visit. Please share this information with your friends and family – and post it on social media.
Our posting of this blog does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of any non-Social Security organization, author, or webpages.
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Cathy
Hello,
I am a teacher 57 years old. My husband passed away 2011. I am looking to retire in the next few years from teaching. I was told I would be eligible for my husbands social security. But recently spoke to someone from SS and she said that my estimated teacher pension is more than my husbands benefit, therefore I am not eligible to anything? Can that be true?
Thank you for your time.
Ann C.
Hi, Cathy. We are sorry to hear about your loss. A pension based on work that is not covered by Social Security (for example, Federal civil service and some State or local government agencies, such as police officers and some teachers) may cause the amount of your Social Security benefit to be reduced. Your benefit can be reduced based on one of two provisions: The Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision. To learn more, please visit our Benefits Planner: Information for Government Employees page. We hope this helps.
Cindy H.
I am a widow who turns 62 in August 2022. I plan to apply for my own retirement benefit then and switch to a survivor benefit (which is higher) when I reach my full retirement age of 67 and 4 months. When I called my local Social Security office to make an appointment to apply, they told me that choosing one and switching later is not an option, and when I file I will be locked in to one or the other. How can I make sure I am receiving correct information and filing correctly? A mistake would certainly prove costly. Thanks for your help.
Ann C.
Hi, Cindy. Thanks for your question. If you are eligible for retirement benefits, but haven’t applied yet, you have an option. You can apply for retirement or survivors benefits now and switch to the other (higher) benefit later. For more information, please visit our Survivors Planner. We hope this helps.
Cindy H.
Thanks for the clarification. The confusion came when I called my local office to set an appointment, and the representative said I had to choose one or the other and I can’t switch later. My appointment is later this month, and I plan to file for my own benefits and switch to survivors later.
Kelly A.
My husband recieves disability benefits, and I get SSI, he has become very ill, will I be eligible for survivors benefits if he passes away?
Ann C.
Hi, Kelly. We are sorry to hear about your husband’s condition. You are eligible to apply for survivor benefits when you reach age 60 (age 50 or over if disabled). However, there are other factors that may affect your entitlement to these benefits. For more information, visit our Survivors Planner. We hope this helps.
Marcia W.
SSA website states that one can change from receiving a survivor’s benefit to a self retirement benefit, if the self benefit is higher. I am unable to find any information on the SSA website about that, or how to do that. Please advise. Thank you
Ann C.
Hi, Marcia. Thanks for visiting our blog. If you are currently receiving survivors benefits, you can switch to your retirement benefit if it is higher. For more information, please visit our Survivors Planner. For specific questions about your potential benefit or to file an application for retirement benefits, please contact your local Social Security office. We hope this helps.
Cynthia D.
I am disabled and drawing widows benefits and I’m 60 years old! I just remarried and still will receive my benefits?
Ann C.
Hi, Cynthia. Thanks for your question. If you receive retirement or Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) benefits, your marriage will not affect your benefit. If you are receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI), widow or widower’s benefits, your marriage may affect your benefit. To learn more about how marriage affects benefits, visit our Frequently Asked Questions. If you have additional specific questions, please contact your local Social Security office. We hope this helps.
Colleen E.
Colleen
7/26/2022
My husband passed away 8 years ago and I would like to know how much I would receive for SSI vs mine. How do I get that answer?
Thanks for your help!
Ann C.
Hi, Colleen. We are sorry to hear 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.
Lynda P.
What original documents are required to collect my husbands social security benefits? he passed July 16, 2022.
Ann C.
Hi, Lynda. We are sorry to hear about your loss. Typically, an original or certifiied marriage license is needed. You are eligible to apply for survivor benefits when you reach age 60 (age 50 or over if disabled). However, there are other factors that may affect your entitlement to these benefits. For more information about survivors benefits and how to apply, please visit our If You Are The Survivor page. We hope this information is helpful.
Sandra O.
Is it true that your office just goes back just 10 years do if you did not work very much there is not anything or not enough to collect. But yet he worked all the other years and made some good money before hand. How does that work.
Ann C.
Hi, Sandra. Thanks for visiting our blog. It sounds like you are referring to how your retirement benefit is figured. We calculate your average indexed monthly earnings during the 35 years in which you earned the most. Higher lifetime earnings result in higher benefits. If there were some years when you didn’t work, or had lower earnings, your benefit amount may be lower as a result. For details on how your retirement benefit is figured, check out our publication, Your Retirement Benefit: How It’s Figured. We hope this helps.
Jane M.
My earnings (and therefore benefits) are higher than my spouse. If my spouse pre-deceases me (as the older of us might), may I take spousal survivor benefits and wait to take my own until age 70?
If we both retire and take benefits at my FRA, and then my spouse dies, will I be able to obtain any survivor benefit?
Ann C.
Hi, Jane. Thanks for your questions. If you are eligible for retirement benefits, but haven’t applied yet, you can apply for retirement or survivors benefits and switch to the other (higher) benefit later. For those already receiving retirement benefits, you can only apply for benefits as a widow or widower if the retirement benefit you receive is less than the benefits you would receive as a survivor. For more information, please visit our Survivors Planner. For specific questions about your potential benefit, 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.
Jean
I started taking my benefit at FRA (age 66 & 4 months). My husband recently passed away. He started taking his benefit early (at age 62). I want to suspend my benefit and claim survivor benefits on my deceased husband and let my benefit grow and claim my own benefit when I turn 70. The SS website says you can suspend your benefit once you take them. From the site: “If you have reached full retirement age, but are not yet age 70, you can ask us to suspend your retirement benefit payments. By doing this, you will earn delayed retirement credits for each month your benefits are suspended which will result in a higher benefit payment to you.”
I called SS and they suspended mine and started survivor benefits. I just got a letter in the mail saying it was an error and I can’t do this. I called and I’m being told that I can’t suspend mine and take survivor. His amount is less than mine because he took his at 62 and I took mine at FRA. But, I want to suspend my benefit to let it grow and take survivor benefits on his and when I reach age 70, go back and unsuspend mine. My financial advisor has articles that this can be done and your website says I can suspend mine. What do I need to do to fix this?
Ann C.
Hi, Jean. Thanks for visiting our blog. Unfortunately, your question is a bit more complex than we can answer in this forum. For your security, we do not have access to information about your account in this venue. We do ask that members in our Facebook community refer to their local office on specific questions about their case. We encourage you to continue to work with your local Social Security office. We hope this is resolved soon.