When a husband or wife passes away, the household usually loses one of its two Social Security checks. For many surviving spouses, that means living on far less, while many of the bills stay the same.
Survivor benefits exist to soften that blow. But the amount a surviving spouse receives is often shaped years earlier, when the couple decides when to claim.
Here’s how survivor benefits work, and what couples should understand before they file.
Survivor benefits are monthly payments made to certain family members of a worker who has died, based on that worker’s earnings record. This article focuses on surviving spouses, including those who were divorced from the worker after a long marriage.
A surviving spouse doesn’t collect their own benefit and the survivor benefit together. They receive the higher of the two.
For a married couple, that usually means one check goes away and the survivor keeps the larger one.
In general, a surviving spouse may qualify:
A divorced spouse may also qualify, generally if the marriage lasted at least 10 years.
Remarriage matters too. Remarrying at age 60 or later (50 or later if disabled) generally doesn’t affect eligibility. Remarrying earlier generally does, unless that later marriage ends.
It depends largely on two things: the survivor’s age when they claim, and how much the deceased spouse was receiving or was entitled to.
The full retirement age for survivors can differ from the one for retirement benefits, and it depends on birth year. For anyone born in 1962 or later, it’s 67.
There’s also a one-time $255 death payment for an eligible surviving spouse, which must generally be requested within two years of the death.
Here’s the part many couples miss. If the higher earner waits to claim, their monthly benefit grows. That larger benefit can also become the base for the survivor benefit.
So the higher earner’s claiming age affects more than their own check. It can affect what their spouse lives on for the rest of their life, and that could be decades.
Here’s an example from a fictional sample household, Sandy and Steven, using projected amounts:
| If Steven passes first | Sandy’s projected monthly income |
|---|---|
| Both claimed at 62 | $2,076 |
| Recommended strategy | $3,656 |
That’s a difference of about $1,580 a month, from a decision made years earlier. Your numbers will be different, and waiting isn’t the right answer for everyone. Health, savings, work plans and the age gap between spouses can all change the picture.
Someone who has already lost a spouse may still have a choice to make. Because survivor benefits and retirement benefits are separate, some people can start with one and switch to the other later.
For example, a survivor might take survivor benefits first, then switch to their own retirement benefit as early as 62 if it would be higher. Others might do the reverse. The better order depends on the two benefit amounts, the survivor’s age and any earnings from work.
Filing the wrong way can mean leaving money on the table, so it’s worth running the numbers before applying.
Survivor benefits can’t currently be applied for online. Contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 or at a local office. Funeral homes often report a death to Social Security, but it’s worth confirming.
Survivor benefits are one piece of a larger decision that includes spousal benefits, taxes and how you’ll cover your expenses in retirement. Each piece affects the others, which is why two couples with similar incomes can end up with very different answers.
Book a free call with Marcus Marion, RSSA®, to talk through your household’s situation and your questions.
Sample household is fictional. Amounts are projections from RSSA Roadmap®, and your results will differ. Retired Health Group is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration. This article is for general education.