When Tragedy Occurs, Your Family Can Count on Us
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: November 6, 2023
Tragedy strikes without warning. For families who lose a wage earner, it can have a devastating financial impact in addition to the emotional one.
Acting Commissioner Carolyn Colvin says that Social Security touches the lives of every American, often in times of tragedy and uncertainty. It’s true. Our programs go beyond retirement and disability benefits. Social Security helps care for the surviving families of deceased entitled workers.
If you work, some of the Social Security taxes you pay now go toward survivors benefits for workers and their families. In the event of your death, certain family members — widows, widowers (including your divorced spouse), children and dependent parents — may be eligible for survivors benefits. Social Security’s survivors benefits may be more valuable than your individual life insurance.
The benefit amount your family is eligible for depends on your average lifetime earnings. The more you earned, the more their benefits will be. Check your Social Security Statement to see an estimate of survivors benefits we could pay. You can create a secure my Social Security account to access your Statement anytime and see an estimate of these benefits. With a my Social Security account, you can also see an estimate of your retirement and disability benefits, and ot her important information. You can also visit our Benefits Planner to help you better understand your and your family’s, Social Security protection as you plan for your financial future.
In certain circumstances, we also make a one-time payment of $255 to your spouse or child if you’ve worked long enough. Survivors must apply for this payment within two years of the date of death.
For more information about how Social Security’s survivors benefits can help your surviving dependents, please read Survivors Benefits or visit our website. No one likes to think about death, but, unfortunately, it’s inevitable. When it happens, know that you can count on Social Security to be there for your loved ones.
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Jim Borland, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Communications
Jim Borland, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Communications
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Anthony T.
My dad died this december 25, 2016 his 69years old ….. just want to ask if i can get a benefit from his Social Security at my age 43 yrs old?
R.F.
We are sorry for your loss Anthony. Generally, Survivors Benefits can be paid to the beneficiary’s minor children and the surviving spouse of the deceased. An adult disabled before age 22 may be eligible for child’s benefits if a parent is deceased. We consider this a “child’s” benefit because it is paid on a parent’s Social Security earnings record. We hope this information helps answering your question.
Brian
my wife of 7 and half years died. We have 3 children. She never worked. I cannot get any benefits from social security because of this. She worked at raising our children and provided daycare for our children for the 7 and half years we were married. Seems kind of unfair I am left with no help because she didn’t work for the little bit of credits required before she died. I believe this needs to change as I have no help from the government in survivor benefits. If she would of worked some small part time job before she died, I would of had help. Very angry about this.
Brian
bump
Brian
I was just wanting conformation from my above comment that I was correct that my children can’t get any help from social security.
Thanks
Norma
My husband passed away. He was 63. My daughter is 17 and will not graduate until after she is 18. Are we eligible for survivor benefits?
R.F.
We are sorry for your loss Norma. Normally, Benefits for Children stop when children reach age 18, unless they are disabled. However, if the child is still a full-time student at a secondary (or elementary) school at age 18, Social Security benefits will continue until the child graduates or until two months after the child becomes age 19, whichever is first. You may be eligible for widow’s benefits at age 60 (50 if disabled). If you need to report a death or apply for benefits, call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). You can speak to a Social Security representative between 7 AM and 7 PM Monday through Friday. You can also contact your local Social Security office. An appointment is not required, but if you call ahead and schedule one, it may reduce the time you spend waiting to speak to someone.
Jan B.
Regarding the survivor’s benefit, I was married for 15 years. We divorced and he passed away in 2015. I remarried in 2014, but my husband filed for a divorce. I am currently 55. Once divorced, and when I turn 60 will I be able to file for a survivor benefits?
R.F.
Hi Jan. Generally a claimant for widow’s or surviving divorced spouse’s benefits must be unmarried in order to be entitled. If you are the divorced spouse of a worker who dies, you could get benefits just the same as a widow, provided that your marriage lasted 10 years or more. You can apply for reduced benefits as early as age 60 (50 if disabled). We hope this information helps!
Edie
What would be a reason my children’s survivor benefit amount would decrease? I noticed that after getting a set amount each month for the past year and 9 months, each child’s benefit amount decreased by $370. I will call the office this week, but I was just wondering if this has happened to anyone else & why? I didn’t think child survivor benefits could decrease unless they turned 18/19 and graduated high school. None of that applies to my situation yet.
R.F.
Unfortunately, but for security reasons, we do not have access to personal records in this blog. Please contact your local Social Security office or call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Thanks!
D R.
How long should it take to process a claim for surviving spouse benefits, both monthly and the lump-sum? My husband passed November 2016. He was still working, not drawing SS. I am unemployed. I applied on 12/7/2016 and my claim is still pending! He was the sole breadwinner for us. I need the monthly income to get started asap! So far, my claim is still in the “Processing” phase. When I called to question it, the explanation given to me is that I filed in December which is a month that many claims processors take 1-2 weeks of vacation! Really?!!! I’m supposed to sit here waiting on my much-needed monthly income request to be processed and the ones that are responsible for that are on 1-2 weeks vacation?!!! Hope they had fun because I sure am not!
Oh, as a consolation remark, she happily informed me that when I did get the monthly payments started, I would get paid back to the first eligible date. WooHoo! In the meantime …
R.F.
We are sorry to hear about your husband’s loss, and apologize for this inconvenience. For security reasons, we do not have access to personal records via this blog. Please continue working with your local office and know you can request to speak with the local office manager to see how we can help to expedite resolution of your situation. If you are unable to visit your local servicing office, you may call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213, representatives are available Monday through Friday between 7:00a.m. and 7:00p.m. Generally, you will have a shorter wait time if you call later in the week. Thanks.
Katherine W.
My spouse passed away on the last day of November 2016. Technically he was alive the whole month. I called to inquirer about his November 2016 check that was not deposited into our saving account. I was told that I’m not entitled to that check because he didn’t live the whole month. I’m confused, and asked for the rules and regulations. I was told to go to a web site from Utah. I need a New Jersey web site this is the state that I reside in. What do you think?
R.F.
We are sorry to hear of your loss Katherine! This may not be the news you were hoping to hear, but we wanted you to hear it straight from us. To be eligible for Social Security benefits, a person has to live throughout the entire month to receive his or her check. Therefore, when a person passes away, Social Security benefits are not payable for the month in which a beneficiary dies. This applies whether the person dies on the first or the last day of the month. Please read How Social Security Can Help You When A Family Member Dies or visit our Survivors Benefits web page for more information.
rhea
hello. my kids dad passed away this year. I don’t have his name on their birth certificate so when i applied for survivors benefits for our youngest they told me to have a paternity test done using his sample at the medical examiners office. I did and it matched. The guy who interviewed me told me my son is eligible to get 1k a month i was happy because i can finally get rid of 1 of my jobs to spend time with my kids. I work 3 jobs and I only see them 30 mins in the morning and 30 mins at night. I only spend one full day with them which is sunday my only day off. So after two hours the guy who interviewed me called me to tell me theres a problem and he needed additional evidence of paternity like court ordered child support, hospital religious or school records signed by him or letters from him claiming that our son is his. I only have pictures of him with my son. He sent me letters through Facebook saying he loves our kids. His parents and relatives are willing to write letter saying he is the father and how he was to us when he was still alive. The guy said he’s not sure if thats acceptable. I didn’t file for child support because he scared me. He told me he don’t know what he will do to me if i did. He was abusive towards me. Everytime I opened up about adding his name on our kids birth certificate, he will scream at me, shove me and call me names in front of the kids. i have a lot of police reports and no contact orders. When my son was 1 year old he put him in the car while he was heavily drunk.. He was an alcoholic. I called the police on him and i really stood my ground and told him i don’t want him in our life. I apply for state assistance but they want me to name him but i beg them not to go after him for child support because I wanna stay alive for my kids. After he got out of jail I slept with knife for months and barricaded the door with furnitures.I always saw him driving around my place spying on us. That is why I didn’t file for child support. The guy said he needs proof that he was supporting my kids financially. he will give 50 100 every now and then but not documented and consistent so i said no to the guy because he stole from me too. Even if he gave me money he will steal more than how much he gave me and even pawned our oldest video games for alcohol. My oldest was in counseling because of him. He was never married but he has another child which got approved. Is there hope for my kid to get the benefits. He is a special need kid and i have good reasons not to file for child support i can bring documents with me like police reports and no contact orders. i searched online and i read some success stories but not a lot and asked my friend with situation as i am. his sons dad never claimed his son as his but she fought it and his son is getting benefits.I just wanna make sure. my kids have been in the backseat long enough. thank you
R.F.
Unfortunately, your situation is a bit more complex than we can answer in this forum. However, you have the right to file an application for benefits and receive an official denial of your claim from Social Security, which will provide you with appeals rights, if in case you wish to seek legal advice to verify our decision. It will also establish a protective filing date for benefits. Please continue working with your local office. If you are unable to visit your local servicing office, you may call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213 for further assistance. Representatives are available Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Thanks.
Jack J.
Our permanently disabled son (born with Down Syndrome) with 17 year record making social security payments as a worker and later receiving SSDI died at age 52 December, 2016. He had no dependents. Is his (estate) eligible for the $255 death payment.
R.F.
We are sorry for your loss Jack. The lump-sum payment can only be paid to the surviving spouse. If there’s no eligible surviving spouse, the lump-sum can then be paid to the worker’s child (or children).
greg
i am collecting ssdi .i became disabled after my wife died. i made more money than she did. she was collecting ssdi at the time of her death. will i be able to collect widower benefits
R.F.
Thank you for your question Greg. If you already receive Social Security benefits, you can only apply for benefits as a widower if the benefit amount you receive is less than the benefits you would receive as a survivor. You need to contact your local Social Security office or call our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 , ( TTY 1-800-325-0778) to learn how much you could receive on the other record. Representatives are available Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m
greg
SO IF I MADE MORE THAN SHE DID I WILL GET NOTHING?