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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Cathie G.
My husband passed away 11 years ago and I was still working. While I was working I received benefits which along with my pay was enough to make my bills and mortgage with enough income to live on. I retired a year later and received a letter from Social Security asking what my estimate income would be for that year. I was a school employee and worked only 10 months of the year. Since I had retired before the end of the school year it was less than the first year of social security benefits.
For a while after I retired social security kept sending me letters first to say they under paid me then a few months later I get another letter to tell me that I was over paid. This went on for awhile. Under paid then over paid and each time they said there was an over pay they were going to stop payments for 14 to 16 months.
After all the bouncing around back and forth I was told I owed them $10,000.00. I couldn’t afford the $200.00 plus dollars they wanted every month so I wond up paying $50.00 a month and I’m STILL paying 10 years later. So if you are a government employee be prepared to get lower widow’s benifits no matter how long your spouse paid into social security.
Lisa T.
I am widowed.My husband earned Social Security diisability & died. I am unable to collect his benefit as a surving spouse because I just happen to be younger than 60 years old. So, I’m forced to wait 8yrs for MY benefits. What an INJUSTICE!! We definitely need advocates to push very hard for reform!
Angela
I just applied for this. They are telling me I have to be disabled. And will find out within 3 to 8 months. I am also to get my late husbands pension which he definitely made good money and put 20 years in. He wasn’t retired yet. He was 52, I have to wait until he would have been 55. In which I will be 52. The amount is almost nothing.
Bernice
I agree!!! Because u need 2 incomes. SSI SHOULD SUPPORT WIDOWS AT LEAST 6 MONTHS AFTER SPOUSE DIES. DO WE HAVE TIME 2 GRIEVE OUR SPIOUSES. DEFINITLEYWN UNJUDICE. MAYBE IF THEY PUT IN THAT PISITION THE WILL UNDERSTAND.
jim
Why don’t you get a job like the rest of us? Social Security is for retired individuals age 62 or older. Looks like you are 54 so why can’t you work instead of expecting others to pay for you?
Social security is only expect to cover about 40% of your living expenses so you should also be putting money aside for your retirement.
Deborah
My sister died at age 60 and contributed to ss for many years. She was divorced and had 2 grown children. Can her children get her unused ss?
A.C.
Hi, Deborah. We are sorry to hear about your loss. Only eligible family members may be able to receive monthly survivor benefits. For more information, please check out our publication, How Social Security Can Help You When a Family Member Dies. We hope this helps.
Lena H.
Hi, I have a question. My husband passed away in 2014, I was under the impression that since he was the sole provider that I would receive benefits thru his S.S which is survivor benefits. After the second year I received a letter informing me I would no longer receive after a certain date. I was under the impression that I would receive survivor benefit under his S.S throughout not only for 2 years.
A.C.
Hi, Lena. 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.
Laura A.
I was divorced from being married to a domestic violence abuser for 9years, 11months and 2 weeks. He is now deceased. I was told because I was not married for10 years. He was a navy seal in the Vietnam War discharged. I tried to get help from the VA but there was none at that time. Has this requirement changed?
A.C.
Hi, Laura. We are sorry to hear about your situation. The marriage had to have lasted for at least 10 years or more. For more information about surviving divorced spouse benefits, please visit our If You Are The Survivor page. We hope this helps.
Adam
Hello. My father died recently and my mother was eligible for survivor benefits. However, because she makes more at her job than the income limitation imposed by the eligibility requirements, as well as the age limitations, she is 60, she will only qualify for 5 months of payments a year and around 80% of my father’s retirement benefit. This is something I find to be abhorrent, and reforms should be implemented, namely the elimination of income and age requirements or limitations, as well as the inclusion of heirs such as adult offspring. The monies earned by my father is his property, and just like any other inheritance, after his death his property, in it’s entirety, should be transferred to his spouse or whomever else he would designate in his will. Government should not impose arbitrary, nonsensical limitations or reductions of a beneficiary’s inheritance, as that would be tantamount to theft. I also find unjust, wrong, and abhorrent that social security only pays out one retirement benefit for the surviving spouse, when it should be both, as my father would have wanted my mother to keep his retirement earnings, not the government. I would like for us all as a people and nation to address and correct this gross injustice for all the widows and other familial heirs this kind of policy and system negatively impacts in terms of true justice, fairness, equality, and social security.
Vicky L.
I agree! I’m disabled, but because I made more I’m not entitled to his benefits. It’s not the governments money.
Pamela
You need to speak to someone about this – if you are disabled you can still draw his check from the VA based on the fact that you are disabled! You need to go to a VA Regional Office
Joann
My husband passed away in 2017 and I was only 64 I would be 65 in Dec he passed away in July so I was not invited to his full benefit Utley gave me my and just part of this even though his was higher than mine
William H.
So does this finally mean now that an American on social security, living abroad and married to a non US citizen, that his/her spouse’s is entitled to their benefit as a widow/er? (You certainly don’t have to be a US citizen to pay into social security.)
Ramon O.
This used to be the case — a non-American spouse was entitled to spousal benefits. Then the SS Policy changed — whereby only a “Green card” spouse was eligible for benefits. This happened to ME. My spousal benefits were denied. So I applied for US Citizenship — and as soon as I got my “green card”, I re-applied and began receiving my spousal benefits.
A.C.
Hi, William. Thanks for visiting our blog. For more information about noncitizens outside of the United States, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions. Since you are living outside of the U.S., please contact your local Federal Benefits Unit for any assistance related to Social Security benefits. Also, our Office of International Operations home page provides more information to assist our customers living abroad. We hope this helps.
Karla
I was married to my ex-husband for 18 years, from 18 years old to 36. We had two children and I was a stay at home mom most of that duration with no education behind high school. After the divorce, I struggled in lower paying jobs until I landed a State job. But around 55 years old I went out on a disability. Meanwhile my ex remarried at 37 years and remains married. He retired 8 years ago at 70 years old and he owned a successful car dealership so no doubt he paid the max in to his s.s., do you think my s.s. would go up if reevaluated? I’m now 78 years old.
A.C.
Hi, Karla. Thanks for visiting our blog. 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.
Phyllis D.
My son was disabled when he was 12yrs. Old
He didn’t get anything until he reached the age of 18.
He never got married or had any children of his own.
My husband and I took care of him since he was diagnosed with HLB27. He was legally blind and deaf. He lived with us until I found him dead.
We had to pay for everything out of our pocket for his creamatiom.
I tried to call SS to find out if he had a death benefit to help us pay for his creamatiom.
But,they said, since he wasn’t married we couldn’t get it.
I feel that they were wrong with what they told us as, he lived with us and we took him to all of his Dr appointments, also helped him with everything in his life
Angela R.
I feel laws need to change with widow’s. For those in their 40/50s.
I have a daughter that was 17 when my husband & her Dad died. She gets less than a year of support. Because she is above 16 I get NOTHING. She is special needs & had SSI at one time. Even without his income now we still don’t qualify for SSI because of my income. Which I barely get by. I don’t even have a car payment. At 18 she needs to go through application process to deem disabled. I can get a widow benefit but only if I make less than $19,000. How do we freaking live on that. Even at 60 there is still the income requirement. People can’t live this way especially when most rents for 2 bedrooms are around $1200-$1700..