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About the author
Andy Markowitz is an AARP senior writer and editor covering Social Security and retirement. He is a former editor of the Prague Post and Baltimore City Paper.
Can I collect my deceased spouse’s Social Security and my own at the same time?
Social Security will not combine a late spouse's benefit and your own and pay you both. When you are eligible for two benefits, such as a survivor benefit and a retirement payment, Social Security doesn’t add them together but rather pays you the higher of the two amounts.
If that’s the retirement benefit, then the retirement benefit is all you’ll get. If the survivor benefit is higher, Social Security pays the retirement benefit first and tops it up to match the amount of the survivor benefit.
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Whether that survivor benefit exceeds your own Social Security payment will depend on the amount of your late spouse’s benefit and your own age and family situation. You are entitled to:
- 100 percent of the deceased’s benefit if you have reached your full retirement age, or FRA. For survivor benefits, that’s 66 and 6 months if you were born in 1959 and gradually rises to 67 for those born in 1962 and later. (FRA is different for retirement benefits.)
- 71.5 to 99 percent if you are between 60 — in most cases, the earliest you can draw survivor benefits — and full retirement age. (If you have a disability, the minimum age is 50.)
- 75 percent if you are caring for a child from the marriage who is under 16 or has a disability that began before they turned 22. In this case you can receive a survivor benefit regardless of your own age.
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Keep in mind
- If you are already receiving a spousal benefit when your husband or wife dies, Social Security will, in most cases, convert it automatically to a survivor benefit once the death is reported. Otherwise, you will need to apply for survivor benefits by phone at 800-772-1213 or in person at your local Social Security office.
- If you choose to apply at an office, call ahead to schedule a visit. Social Security requires appointments for most in-person services.
More on Social Security
Estimating Social Security from an Ex-Spouse
Social Security Survivor Benefits & Remarriage
Switching From Survivor Benefits to Retirement