Organizing your finances after the death of a spouse takes precedence over many other new goals, such as paying tribute to their memory, locating resources for support, and concentrating on your own recovery.
Figuring out benefits such as Social Security can feel overwhelming. Do you receive your spouse’s Social Security benefits upon their death? Depending on your circumstances, survivor benefits may be essential to your long-term financial strategy. What you should know about potential benefits and how to apply is provided below.
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Who qualifies for Social Security survivor benefits?
After a worker passes away, survivor benefits provide surviving spouses and dependents with financial support. If you fit any of the following requirements, you might be eligible for survivor benefits:
- If your spouse passed away within seven years of your death, you are the surviving spouse, 60 years of age or older (or 50 years of age with a disability).
- As the survivor spouse, regardless of age, you are taking care of the worker’s child who passed away. The child needs to be disabled or under 16 years old.
Most of the time, you are eligible for survivor benefits if you were married to the deceased for at least nine months. If the death happened by accident or while serving in the US military, there is no length of marriage requirement. Remarrying after age 60 will not impact survivor benefits. But, you won’t be eligible for survivor benefits if you remarry before turning 60. However, you can regain your benefits if your second marriage dissolves.
In addition to spouses, other family members may qualify for survivor benefits, including children, grandchildren, parents and even divorced spouses. The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides a more complete list of who qualifies.
How a deceased spouse’s age affects the Social Security retirement benefit
Depending on the deceased’s age, the SSA distributes a portion of the deceased’s retirement benefits to an eligible surviving spouse upon their death.
- In the event that the deceased individual did not reach retirement age, the surviving spouse will be entitled to 100% of the benefit.
- The surviving spouse is entitled to receive the benefits the deceased was entitled to in the month of their death if they reached retirement age.
- In a similar vein, the surviving spouse is entitled to the amount received by the deceased in the month of their death if they were already receiving monthly payments.
Benefits From A Deceased Ex-Spouse?
FAQ
What does a wife do when her husband dies?
When a husband dies does the wife get his Social Security and hers?
How much survivor benefits do you get if your spouse dies?
If you claim survivor benefits between age 60 and your full retirement age, you will receive between 71.5 percent and 99 percent of the deceased’s benefit. The percentage gets higher the older you are when you claim. If you claim in your 50s as a disabled spouse, the survivor benefit is 71.5 percent of your late spouse’s benefit.
Can a surviving spouse collect retirement benefits if a spouse dies?
A surviving spouse can collect 100 percent of the late spouse’s benefit if the survivor has reached full retirement age, but the amount will be lower if the deceased spouse claims benefits before reaching full retirement age.
What is a surviving spouse benefit?
Surviving spouse, full retirement age or older — 100% of the deceased worker’s benefit amount. Surviving spouse, age 60 — through full retirement age — 71½ to 99% of the deceased worker’s basic amount. Surviving spouse with a disability aged 50 through 59 — 71½%. Surviving spouse, any age, caring for a child under age 16 — 75%.
What happens if my spouse dies on social security?
Social Security would reduce your benefit by $16,000. If your benefit is below $16,000 a year, you will not receive benefits. If your spouse dies and you have children with them under the age of 16, then (regardless of your own age), you can receive up to 75% of your spouse’s benefit.