How does Social Security work when a spouse dies?

When a Social Security beneficiary dies, his or her surviving spouse is eligible for survivor benefits. About 3.8 million widows and widowers, including some who were divorced from late beneficiaries, were receiving survivor benefits as of March 2023. 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. (Full retirement age for survivor benefits differs from that for retirement and spousal benefits; it is currently 66 and 2 months for people born in 1957 and 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. Local offices fully reopened in April 2022 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. 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 As noted above, you don't need to have been married to a beneficiary at the time of death to get survivor benefits. You may qualify as the divorced former spouse of a Social Security recipient. 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. However, if you are eligible for your own retirement benefit, you won't get both payments; Social Security will pay the higher of the two benefit amounts. If you are below full retirement age and still working, your survivor benefit could be affected by Social Security's earnings limit.

Social Security When A Spouse Dies - A Guide To Survivor Benefits

AARP

En español

Published October 11, 2018

/ Updated May 05, 2023

When a Social Security beneficiary dies, his or her surviving spouse is eligible for survivor benefits. About 3.8 million widows and widowers, including some who were divorced from late beneficiaries, were receiving survivor benefits as of March 2023.

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. (Full retirement age for survivor benefits differs from that for retirement and spousal benefits; it is currently 66 and 2 months for people born in 1957 and 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.

Local offices fully reopened in April 2022 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.

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).

Flowers & Gifts

Coupons for Local Stores

Save on clothing, gifts, beauty and other everyday shopping needs

View Details

See All

See more Flowers & Gifts offers >

{"hideCategory":false,"useAlternateLanguage":false,"headlineIconAltText":"","listItems":[{"categoryTitle":"Flowers \u0026 Gifts","categoryUrl":"/membership/benefits/shopping/flower-gifts/","categoryDeeplinkParam":"shoppingandgroceries-flowersandgifts","isLimitedTimeOffer":false,"offerJson":{"dbr_offer_id":"cc10a5160ce1087afc819517a2b9e911","source_name":"Coupons for Local Stores","offer_title":"Shopping Savings Near You","offer_description":"\u003cp\u003eMembers save at a range of local shops and national chains.\u003c/p\u003e","offer_short_description":"Save on clothing, gifts, beauty and other everyday shopping needs","category_list":"shoppingandgroceries","subcategory_list":"shoppingandgroceries-flowersandgifts","tags":[{"tagID":"dbr:shoppingandgroceries","title":"Shopping \u0026 Groceries","name":"shoppingandgroceries","deeplink_url":"/membership/benefits/shopping/","deeplink_param_value":"shoppingandgroceries","get_offers_url":"/etc/aarp/dbr/ws.api/offers/shoppingandgroceries.json","sub_tags":[{"tagID":"dbr:shoppingandgroceries/flowersandgifts","title":"Flowers \u0026 Gifts","name":"flowersandgifts","deeplink_url":"/membership/benefits/shopping/flower-gifts/","deeplink_param_value":"shoppingandgroceries-flowersandgifts","get_offers_url":"/etc/aarp/dbr/ws.api/offers/shoppingandgroceries-flowersandgifts.json"}]}],"vertical_image_url":"/content/dam/aarp/benefits_discounts/discount-aggregator/258x334-da-shopping-discounts.jpg","image_url":"/content/dam/aarp/benefits_discounts/discount-aggregator/1140x641-da-shopping-discounts.png","advertisement_flag":"","advertisement_sort_order":"","merchant_phone":"","merchant_phone_label":"","howto_redeem":"Learn More","howto_redeem_url":"https://memberoffers.aarp.org/shopping","howto_redeem_expired":"Renew to Learn More","howto_redeem_expired_link":"https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/renew","howto_redeem_non_member":"Join to Learn More","howto_redeem_non_member_link":"https://secure.aarp.org/applications/membershipChallenge/showChallengeForm.action?appName\u003daccount","howto_redeem_anonymous":"Join to Learn More","howto_redeem_anonymous_link":"https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/join?campaignid\u003dUASMBP1\u0026intcmp\u003dEWHERE-MBCHAE-LP-MMA-JOIN","howto_redeem_desc":"Show the coupon on your phone or print it and show at checkout. ","member_exclusive_flag":"no","offer_type":"EverGreen","hideLeavingAARP":"false","interstitial_desc":"You\u0027ll leave AARP.org and go to the website of a trusted provider. The provider\u0027s terms, conditions, and policies apply.","dbr_offer_type":"discount","restrictions":"\u003cp\u003eThese AARP member benefits are provided by a third party, not by AARP or its affiliates. These offers are subject to change and may have restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e","lto_daysleft_start_control":30,"is_redeemable_in_person":"false","is_redeemable_only_in_person":false,"state_blacklist":[],"offer_timing":"anytime","line_of_business":"ASI discounts","asi_category":"ASI Shopping","analytics_brand":"Coupons for Local Stores","analytics_offerid":"even-more-shopping-discounts","howto_redeem_already_registered_anon":"Member Log In","howto_redeem_already_registered_anon_link":"https://login.aarp.org/online-community/loginform.action","howto_redeem_already_registered_nonmember":"Link your membership","howto_redeem_already_registered_nonmember_link":"https://secure.aarp.org/applications/membershipChallenge/showChallengeForm.action?appName\u003daccount","offer_keywords":["local","retail discounts","shopping","member benefits","aarp benefits","aarp discounts"],"offer_keywords_spanish":[],"provider_logo":"/content/dam/aarp/benefits_discounts/discount-aggregator/see-more-shopping-red-logo.svg","provider_logo_alt_text":"shopping bag red logo icon","provider_logo_cdn_uri":"","provider_logo_width":"","provider_logo_height":"","enable_utm_parameters":"","append_aid_paramter":"","lto_model_heading":"Limited Time Member Offers","lto_advertisement":"Member Exclusive Advertisement","ty_socialMissionFlag":"true","deeplink_param_value":"even-more-shopping-discounts","pixel_learn_more_value":"","howto_redeem_2":"Learn More","howto_redeem_already_registered_nonmember_label":"Already a member?","howto_redeem_already_registered_anon_label":"Already a member?","image_alt_text":"","image_title":"wrapped gifts for shopping discounts","image_cdn_uri":"https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/aarp/benefits_discounts/discount-aggregator/1140x641-da-shopping-discounts.imgcache.rev1ef9b73c2678b0ab58e121405d9ffb7e.png","tab_label_offer_details":"Details","tab_label_restrictions":"Disclosures","geoloc_tab_label":"Locations","disclaimer_label":"","geoloc_provider_legal_info":"","geoloc_miles_label_text":"Miles","geoloc_show_results_within_label_text":"Show results within","geoloc_see_more_button_text":"See More","geoloc_find_location_label":"Find a Location","geoloc_total_results_label":"Result(s)","geoloc_no_results_view_message":"There are no locations within a 100 mile radius. Please try another location","geoloc_tab_hint_text":"Enter an address, city, or ZIP","geoloc_mobile_list_cta":"LIST VIEW","geoloc_mobile_list_cta_url":"","geoloc_mobile_map_cta":"MAP VIEW","geoloc_mobile_map_cta_url":"","geoloc_provider_link_cta_url":"","geoloc_experience_type":"","ty_ctaText":"Continue","geoloc_hide_tab":"true","ty_interstitialText":"Thanks for visiting aarp.org! Come back again to check out all of the AARP Member Benefits and unlock the full power of membership.","howto_redeem_label":"How to Access","ty_interstitialDesc":"Come back again to check out all of the AARP Member Benefits and unlock the full power of membership.","ty_cancelText":"Cancel","ty_interstitialTitle":"Thanks for visiting aarp.org!","lto_daysleft":"Days Left","provider_logo_title":"shopping bag red logo icon","geoloc_hide_see_more_button":"false","geoloc_provider_link_cta":"","offer_page_path":"/benefits-discounts/all/even-more-shopping-discounts/","redemption_content":"","show_phone_number_above_cta":"","restrictions_label":"Disclosures","show_state_availability":"","state_availability_text":"SEE AVAILABILITY IN YOUR STATE","hideRestrictionsTab":"","ltos":[]},"parentOfferJson":{}}]}

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

As noted above, you don't need to have been married to a beneficiary at the time of death to get survivor benefits. You may qualify as the divorced former spouse of a Social Security recipient.
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. However, if you are eligible for your own retirement benefit, you won't get both payments; Social Security will pay the higher of the two benefit amounts.
If you are below full retirement age and still working, your survivor benefit could be affected by Social Security's earnings limit.

%{postComment}%

Discover AARP Members Only Access

Join AARP to Continue

Already a Member? Login

How does Social Security work when a spouse dies?

How Taxes Affect Your Social Security Payments

Keep in mind