General, Survivors

Survivors Benefits for Same-Sex Partners

June 14, 2022 • By

Reading Time: 1 Minute

Last Updated: November 2, 2023

A male couple standing together.During Pride Month and throughout the year, we acknowledge and honor the contributions made by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Plus (LGBTQ+) community. Pride Month is a special time to share how Social Security benefits same-sex couples and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Were you in a same-sex relationship with a partner who passed away? If so, you may qualify for Social Security survivors benefits based on your partner’s earnings record.

You may qualify for survivors benefits if you meet any of the following:

  • You would have been married at the time of your partner’s death if unconstitutional state laws hadn’t prevented you from marrying.
  • You would have been married longer, but unconstitutional state laws prevented you from marrying sooner.

If you think you may be entitled to benefits, we encourage you to contact us right away. Please call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or contact your local Social Security office.

After you apply, you can check the status of your application with your personal my Social Security account. If you don’t have a personal my Social Security account, you can create one today in just a few minutes.

We also encourage you to check out some of our new resources, including our:

If you know someone who may meet the requirements for survivors benefits, please share this information with them.

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About the Author

Kilolo Kijakazi, Ph.D., M.S.W. Principal Senior Advisor to the Commissioner

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Comments

  1. Ed

    Calling the laws of some states unconstitutional state laws? hmm

  2. Darrell L.

    The best years of my 83 years on this 3rd rock from the Sun, was when I lived with my partner. Sadly he passed on April 15, 2015, before the Supreme Court in Chicago ruled that Indiana’s law against same sex marriages were unconstitutional. If he’d lived till June we would have been married in a flash. We exchanged marriage vows in front of our gay friends in 2006, but it wasn’t really legal. Just showed our friends that we were married.
    Wonder if the money I’d receive would be worth it after a the red tape and WAITING that would be required.

    • Edmond

      I’m sorry for your loss Darrell. I lost my partner after 15 years and we were married. Social Security denied my right for spose benefit till now. So I don’t believe what they said.

  3. R V.

    If you worked long enough to collect social security, who gives a ”*$_&+-, if your black, brown, blue, gay or yellow, you earned the right to collect and so does your partner.. Let’s get real people…

  4. Mike Z.

    What the hell is next?

    • Steve S.

      will they will be getting more and better benifits then the straight ones our leaders are sick and they have turned their backs on god and now you see our blessing being taken away and they are giving them to the evil ones

      • STS

        How exactly do you calculate that “they” will be getting more? Spouse benefits are available to all, of any gender, and now of any sexual orientation. What is your problem with that?

  5. Patrick J.

    Bigots Are The Real Scumbags! They Should JUST DROP DEAD! AND FAST, OR ELSE!

  6. Straight A.

    Straight & Proud;
    Take all the lgbtq+ “its” and ship them all off to the Andros Islands.
    Build all kinds of appartments & houses… Don’t let anyone of them off the islands just ship produce & stuff thats needed onto the island….

    • American P.

      Yes Look who’s in the oval office. He’s not like he was 20yrs ago.
      Remember he said “my kids are not going to school with any black people & get a subpar education. He was the #1 black hater in the senate. But he’s a democrate so he gets a pass.
      SHAME….

      • Edmond

        Look who was in in office before him and what he did with price of oil with stopping Iranian oil to us. You deserve to pay $8/gallon but not the majority of this country.

    • Marc P.

      @StraightA: I’m “straight” too, but not a bigot. In my opinion, all the racists, homophobes, ageists, ableists, and every other kind of mean-spirited individuals who make comments like this should be the ones shipped off somewhere so the vast majority in this country who are decent human beings don’t have to listen to or see their hateful rants.

      • Edmond

        Very well said!

  7. Cynthia J.

    That Is Unfair. Same Sex & The Benefits That Is Available???? By The Law A Man & Woman Married & Both With Disabiliti es Are Under A Marriage Penalty By Social Security Penalty. A Married 63 Yo Couple Receives Together, Once A Month $1,281.00. Common Law Couple s Live Together & Have Different Last Names & The Get Benefits As They R Single??? Gay Couples Have Good Benefits But To Marry By The Law We R PENALIZED & Treated Horrible. Unfair & Degraded & Discriminated Against???

  8. Lon N.

    How can a person comment on anything after reading your “Policy”? Your “Policy” begins with…”at your own risk”.

  9. Sha

    Well I guess they voted for it…….
    look who is in office.

  10. Ed S.

    Really?

    • martha

      is this an honest “really” or a sarcastic “really”

Comments are closed.