5 Things to Know About Social Security Survivor Benefits

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When you think about Social Security, what do you imagine? Most likely, you picture retired Americans lining up to collect their monthly checks after a lifetime of hard work.

But Social Security doesn’t just pay retirement benefits. The program also pays survivor benefits to different groups of people.

If you’re a retired couple and your spouse who was on Social Security passes away, you, for example, may be eligible for survivor benefits that help you cover your senior living expenses.

It’s important to understand the ins and outs of Social Security survivor benefits, since the rules aren’t the same as regular benefits. With that in mind, here are five things you should know.

1. You can sign up at an earlier age than you might expect

When you’re claiming Social Security based on your own earnings record, the earliest age to sign up is 62. With Social Security survivor benefits, you can start getting that money at age 60. And if you’re disabled, you may be able to get survivor benefits starting at 50.

However, if you don’t wait until full retirement age, your survivor benefit may be reduced permanently. That could be a problem if you need that income to pay your living costs.

2. They can be worth up to 100% of the benefit your spouse was entitled to

Social Security also pays spousal benefits to the spouses of retired workers. If you’re married and your spouse is eligible for Social Security, you may be entitled to up to 50% of the monthly benefit your spouse receives.

As long as you wait until your full retirement age (which is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later), you can collect up to 100% of the benefit your spouse was entitled to at their full retirement age. If your spouse claimed benefits early, the survivor benefit may be less.

3. You can’t claim survivor benefits plus a benefit of your own

Being eligible for Social Security through a work and income history of your own doesn’t mean you automatically can’t claim survivor benefits. But you can only receive one type of Social Security benefit at a time. Thankfully, it’s the larger of the two.

Let’s say you’re eligible for $2,500 a month in Social Security, and your spouse passes away. If your spouse was receiving $2,400 a month in Social Security, you wouldn’t be switched to a survivor benefit because that would result in less monthly income for you.

But if your spouse was getting $2,700 a month, you’d get more money with Social Security survivor benefits, so you’d be bumped up upon their passing.

Social Security will pay you the larger of the two types of benefits you’re able to receive, whether it’s survivor benefits or spousal benefits versus your own benefit. You just can’t claim two types at once.

4. You can claim survivor benefits as a divorcee

Social Security survivor benefits aren’t just for people who were married at the time a spouse passes away. If you were married for a long enough period of time (usually 10 years or more) and meet other criteria, you may be entitled to survivor benefits as a divorcee.

You may also be entitled to survivor benefits as a divorcee if you can prove that you’re caring for the child of an ex-spouse who has passed away.

5. Survivor benefits are payable to minors

There’s no rule stating that Social Security will only pay survivor benefits to people over 18 or 21. The program will also pay survivor benefits to children under 18.

If you’re between the ages of 18 and 19 and a full-time student, you may be eligible for Social Security survivor benefits. And if you’re 18 or older with a disability that began before age 22, that might also allow you to qualify.

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