How much social security survivor benefits will i get

When a Social Security beneficiary dies, his or her surviving spouse is eligible for survivor benefits. 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 claimed benefits before he or she reached full retirement age. (Full retirement age for survivor benefits differs from that for retirement and spousal benefits; it is currently 66 but will gradually increase to 67 over the next several years.)

If you were already receiving spousal benefits on the deceased’s work record, Social Security will in most cases switch you automatically to survivor benefits when the death is reported. Otherwise, you will need to apply for survivor benefits by calling the Social Security Administration at 800-772-1213 or contacting your local Social Security office. 

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In most cases, a widow or widower qualifies for survivor benefits if he or she is at least 60 and had been married to the deceased for at least nine months at the time of death. But there are a few exceptions to those requirements:

• If the late beneficiary’s death was accidental or occurred in the line of U.S. military duty, there’s no length-of-marriage requirement.
• You can apply for survivor benefits as early as age 50 if you are disabled and the disability occurred within seven years of your spouse’s death.
• If you are caring for children from the marriage who are under 16 or disabled, you can apply at any age.

Whether you have wed again can also affect eligibility. If the remarriage took place before you turned 60 (50 if you are disabled), you cannot draw survivor benefits. You regain eligibility if that marriage ends. And there is no effect on eligibility for survivor benefits if you remarry at or past 60 (50 if disabled).

The survivor benefit is generally calculated on the benefit your late spouse was receiving from Social Security at the time of death (or was entitled to receive, based on age and earnings history, if he or she had not yet claimed benefits). The actual amount of your payment will differ according to your age and family circumstance:

• As previously noted, if you have reached full retirement age, you get 100 percent of the benefit your spouse was (or would have been) collecting.
• 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.
  
• If you apply on the basis of caring for a child who is under 16 or disabled, you can collect 75 percent of the late spouse’s benefit, regardless of your age.

Keep in mind

• You will not receive a survivor benefit in addition to your own retirement benefit; Social Security will pay the higher of the two amounts.
• If you are the divorced former spouse of a deceased Social Security recipient, you might qualify for survivor benefits on his or her work record.
• If you are below full retirement age and still working, your survivor benefit could be affected by Social Security's earnings limit.
• It does not matter whether a surviving spouse worked long enough to qualify for Social Security on his or her own. He or she can still collect benefits on the deceased spouse’s work record.

More than 5.8 million people received Social Security survivor benefits in September 2022. These monthly payments typically go to the spouse, former spouse or children of someone who was receiving or eligible for Social Security benefits. In some circumstances, parents, grandchildren or stepchildren of a late worker may also qualify for survivor benefits.

In most cases, survivor benefits are based on the amount the deceased was receiving from Social Security at the time of death (or was entitled to receive if he or she died before filing for benefits). You can apply by phone at 800-772-1213 or in person at your local Social Security office.

How to Get More Out of Your Medicare & Social Security

AARP’s free event on Medicare and Social Security benefits is now available on demand! Get answers to many of your questions on Medicare enrollment and coverage, Social Security claiming strategies and much more. 

Highlights include: 

• Keynote by AARP Financial Ambassador Jean Chatzky
• 16 recorded breakout sessions  
• Webinars, resource guides and more

Watch on demand

Local offices fully reopened April 7 after being closed to walk-in traffic for more than two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Social Security recommends calling in advance and scheduling an appointment to avoid long waits.

About two-thirds of recipients are widows and widowers. They can collect survivor benefits from age 60 (50 if they are disabled), at rates ranging from 71.5 percent to 100 percent of the late spouse’s Social Security benefit, depending on the survivor’s age. There is an exception if you are caring for a child of the deceased who is under 16 or disabled; in this case there is no minimum age and the survivor benefit is 75 percent of the deceased’s Social Security payment.

You need not claim survivor benefits as soon as your spouse dies or at your earliest eligibility age. There is no time limit to file, and they actually grow if you delay claiming them until you reach your full retirement age. For survivor benefits, full retirement age is currently 66 but will rise incrementally to 67 over the next several years.

However, depending on your financial situation it might make sense to file as soon as possible after the death is reported to Social Security. Survivor benefits are dated from the time you apply and are not retroactive to the time of death.

Also potentially eligible for survivor benefits are:

• Minor and disabled children. Nearly 2 million offspring of deceased workers were receiving survivor benefits as of September 2022. Qualifying children can collect 75 percent of a late parent’s benefit. To be eligible for survivor benefits the child must be under 18 (or up to 19 and 2 months if they are still in high school full time) or have a disability dating from before they turned 22. Stepchildren and grandchildren may also qualify. In all cases, children must be unmarried to collect survivor benefits. 

• Parents. Survivor benefits can go to parents age 62 or older who were financially dependent on a son or daughter who dies. The amount is 82.5 percent of the deceased’s benefit for one parent, 75 percent each for two. 

• Ex-husbands and -wives. The divorced spouses of deceased workers can collect survivor benefits if the marriage lasted 10 years or more. The rules regarding eligibility age are largely the same as for widows and widowers. 

One note on how much of a late worker's benefit amount survivors can receive: Survivor benefits paid to multiple members of one family are subject to the maximum family benefit. That's a cap on how much Social Security will pay out on a single deceased worker’s earnings record. If family members’ collective survivor benefits exceed the maximum, their individual payments will be reduced proportionally to meet the cap.

Keep in mind

• If you are already drawing Social Security on your work record, you will receive survivor benefits only if they exceed your own payment. Social Security will pay the higher of the two benefit amounts.
• Widowed spouses and former spouses who remarry before age 60 (50 if they are disabled) cannot collect survivor benefits. Eligibility resumes if the later marriage ends. There is no effect on eligibility if you remarry at 60 or older (50 or older if disabled). 
• Other than the remarriage issue and the age parameters for children, there is no time limit on survivor benefits — they are payable for life. 
• Survivor benefits are distinct from Social Security's lump-sum death benefit, a one-time payment of $255 to a deceased beneficiary's family. To receive this payment, you must file the application (by calling Social Security at 800-772-1213 or visiting your local office) within two years of the person's death.