General Questions, Guest Bloggers, Survivors

Survivor Benefits: Four Tips Widows Need to Know

May 27, 2022 • By

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Last Updated: November 1, 2022

Photo of Cindy HounsellMonths 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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  1. Tess

    I am a 61 year old female that receives my deceased husbands benefits. I am engaged to marry. My fiancé is 56 and eligible for his deceased spouses benefits at 60. If we marry prior to him turning 60, he will lose his benefits? Will I, if we marry? Can we marry and divorce to keep our benefits?

    • Ann C.

      Hi, Tess. Thanks for visiting our blog. 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), local  or widower’s benefits, your marriage may affect your benefit. If you remarry after you reach age 60 (age 50 if you have a disability), your remarriage will not affect your eligibility for survivors benefits.To learn more about how marriage affects benefits, visit our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps. 

  2. Michael M.

    I delayed benefits till beyond FRA, when I die will my wife’s benefits be based my FRA or my delayed age benefits?

    • Ann C.

      Hi, Michael. Thanks for your question. The amount of your wife’s survivors benefit would be based on several factors, including: your earnings, when you started receiving your benefits, her age at the time of your death, and the amount of her own retirement benefit. We compare her own benefit with her potential survivor benefit. If her survivor benefit would be higher than her own current retirement benefit, she would be eligible for survivor benefits. If she is full retirement age or older she would recieve 100% of your benefit amount. For more information, please visit our Planning for Survivors page. We hope this helps. 

  3. L J.

    My husband lost his parental rights several years ago. He passed away last year and his ex-wife is receiving survivor benefits for his son that he lost his parental rights to. Is this legal?

  4. Joe W.

    I was widow at the age of 32 with four kids my husband was murder but what I can’t understand I got widows mothers allowance which was £98 for four kids and myself now my kids are all up I’m on my own.

  5. Rose E.

    I can’t find an answer to this question: If I collect retirement/spousal benefits reduced for age and then my spouse dies, are my survivors benefits reduced to the age I first started receiving retirement benefits, or are they reduced only to the age I am at the time I am first eligible for the survivors benefit?

    • Sylvia B.

      A third possibility – if you are collecting a retirement benefit based on your own work record at 62 (for example) and your spouse dies when you are 63, can you continue to collect your own retirement benefit until you are full retirement age, in order to claim the survivor benefit without reduction for your age at that time? You would have been “first eligible” to collect a survivor benefit at age 63. But if you don’t apply for the survivor benefit until you are full retirement age, it doesn’t seem like it should be reduced. In the meantime, it seems like you should be able to continue to collect the retirement benefit you initiated at 62 while you wait for full retirement age. That would make sense to me.

    • Ann C.

      Hi, Rose. Thanks for your question. The amount of your widow’s benefit is based on several factors, including: the earnings of your spouse, when he started receiving his benefits, your age, and the amount of your own retirement benefit. We compare your own benefit with your potential survivor benefit. If your survivor benefit would be higher than your own current retirement benefit, you would be eligible for survivor benefits. If you already receive benefits as a spouse, your benefit will automatically convert to survivors benefits after we receive the report of death. To learn more about survivors benefits and how the benefits are figured, please visit If You Are The Survivor page. We hope this helps. 

      • Sylvia B.

        Dear Ann C.,
        Respectfully, I don’t think your response addresses Rose’s question which was very specific. The question is, how wil the potential survivor benefit be calculated if reduced for the widow’s age? Does SSA calculate the reduction based on the age at which the survivor began taking her own retirement benefit, or alternatively the age at which she became eligible to claim the potential survivor benefit?

  6. Allyson C.

    I was widow at the age of 32 with four kids my husband was murder but what I can’t understand I got widows mothers allowance which was £98 for four kids and myself now my kids are all up I’m on my own but I still only get £54 now my husband die in 1992 he was 33 I honestly can’t understand who makes these rules as that comes of any other benefit I get I suffer from health problems and vey bad PTSD and very bad depression since this happened just would like to no other ppl that are widow or widower get a lot more from Scotland

  7. John a.

    My husband passed recently and I am now getting just my social security as it was slightly higher than his. It is not even enough to pay my monthly bills. Someone told me I was also eligible for survivor benefits, but, I have never heard this before. He started collecting his social security at age 54 because of a stroke. He was 67 when he died. I am 68 and started collecting mine at age 60.

    • Ann C.

      Hi. Thanks for visiting our blog. We’re sorry to hear about your loss. The amount of your widow’s benefit is based on several factors, including: the earnings of your husband, when he started receiving his benefits, your age, and the amount of your own retirement benefit. We compare your own benefit with your potential survivor benefit. If your survivor benefit would be higher than your own current retirement benefit, you would be eligible for survivor benefits. To learn how much you could be eligible for, please call our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). You can also contact your local Social Security office. At this time, we do not offer an online application for survivors benefits. To learn more information about Survivors benefits, please visit our If You Are The Survivor page. We hope this helps. 

  8. MrsH.

    My fiance and I were together for 3 years and lived together for 2.5 years prior to his passing. He has 2 biological children with his ex-wife (married for more than 10 years), and he was in process for adopting my two children. He passed 2 months before our wedding day. My children receive survivors benefits as equitably adopted children. Can I receive widows benefits as I care for two children who qualify as equitably adopted?

    • Ann C.

      Hi, MrsH. 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.

  9. Bob

    Hello Cindy –

    Can a 58 year old widow enter into a domestic partnership and still collect the survivor benefit at age 60?
    State of California.

    Thank you

    • Ann C.

      Hi, Bob. Thanks for visiting our blog. If you receive retirement or Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) benefits, your marriage or domestic partnership will not affect your benefit. If you are receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI), widow or widower’s benefits, your marriage or domestic partnership may affect your benefit. To learn more about how marriage affects benefits, visit our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.

  10. Anita S.

    My former husband and I were married for over 10 years and he collects Social Security Retirement Benefits. We are estranged and I do not know where he lives. He remarried a foreign woman and may not be living in the United States. Will Social Security send me a notification when he passes away if I provide Social Security with our marriage certificate and divorce decree? If Social Security doesn’t notify me of his passing I will never know about it and thus will never be able to claim Survivor Benefits if he predeceases me. Thank you.

    • Anita S.

      Ann C. from Social Security did not answer my question, so I assume their answer is “NO”.

      So here is a follow-up question for Social Security: how many elderly divorced women who stayed home to raise children are barely scraping by on their own retirement benefit, but could be lifted out of poverty if Social Security would just send them a computer generated form letter notifying them that their former spouse has died and that they may now be eligible for a higher survivor benefit?

    • Ann C.

      Hi, Anita. Thanks for visiting our blog. You can contact us periodically to check your potential benefits as an ex-spouse but also as a surviving divorced widow. 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.

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