In this article, you will learn about the benefits of Social Security for surviving spouses and how to qualify for these benefits, as well as the requirements needed to obtain them. We will also discuss the amount you can receive, how to claim the benefit, and the documents needed to obtain it. Finally, we will address some frequently asked questions about these benefits.
Eligibility for Survivor Benefits
After the death of your spouse, you can receive a monthly benefit from Social Security as a surviving spouse. It is required that your marriage has lasted at least nine months. If you are caring for your deceased spouse’s child and the child is under sixteen years old, you can claim the spousal payments after their death even if your marriage lasted less time.
You can collect the Social Security survivor benefit at age sixty. If you are disabled, you can collect these payments at age fifty.
At age sixty, you will only receive about 70% of the amount you could receive if you waited until full retirement age (FRA). The full retirement age for receiving spousal benefits increases to 67 for individuals born in 1962 or later. The highest age for full retirement to collect spousal benefits is 67 years old.
Basics of Survivor Benefits
Deciding whether to receive benefits after your spouse’s death depends on whether you or your spouse have already begun receiving payments. Here are the basics of how this works:
Getting the Full Amount
If neither of you has already started receiving Social Security, you can wait until you reach full survivor retirement age (66 or 67 years old) or older to apply. In this case, you will receive 100% of the deceased spouse’s basic benefit amount.
If they could receive $1650 monthly at full retirement age, you will receive $1650 per month when you reach full retirement age to start receiving the benefit.
Survivor benefits include the impact of delayed retirement credits. If your spouse was over age sixty or seventy and did not start receiving Social Security, you may receive a higher survivor benefit than they would have if they had applied earlier.
When you start receiving the survivor benefit, you will receive the amount they would have received during that later period. This amount will be greater than what they would have received had they started earlier.
What Reduces Benefits?
If you apply between age sixty and full survivor retirement age, you will receive between 71.5% and 99% of the basic payment amount due to your deceased spouse. The amount increases for each month you approach full survivor retirement age.
If you are collecting survivor benefits and have not yet reached full survivor retirement age, the amount you receive may decrease if you are working. This will happen if your income exceeds the maximum earnings limit.
You Receive One Payment Only
You can either receive your own Social Security income or your spouse’s income, but not both. Once you and your spouse start receiving Social Security benefits, after your spouse’s death, you will continue receiving the larger amount.
If your spouse began receiving benefits, but you have not started, you can choose to collect the survivor benefit now. If your benefit would be higher when you reach age seventy, you can switch then.
If you are caring for a child under the age of sixteen, you will receive 75% of the deceased worker’s benefit amount. This is true at any age.
Survivor Benefits for Divorced Spouses
If you were married to your former spouse for at least ten years and have not remarried before age sixty, you can collect a benefit upon the death of your former spouse. You can collect this benefit even if they remarried before their death.
If
You cared for your ex-spouse’s child, and the child was under the age of sixteen, so the decimal rule does not apply to you. Generally, the benefit is the same as if you were a non-divorced spouse.
When should you claim survivor benefits?
There are advantages and disadvantages to taking survivor benefits before the survivor’s full retirement age.
If you start at a younger age, you will receive this income for a longer period. However, the amount you receive may be less than if you started later.
Many people can start collecting survivor benefits before the survivor’s full retirement age. It may make sense to start collecting benefits now and then switch to your own retirement benefit at age seventy if it would be larger at that time.
For example, you might have these two options:
- At age sixty, receive the deceased spouse benefit of $18,180 annually. Then at age seventy, switch to your retirement benefit of $20,304.
- At age sixty-two, receive your own retirement benefit of $10,752 annually. Then at age sixty-six, switch to your retirement benefit of $24,480 annually.
At first glance, it may seem that taking money at age sixty is a good idea. However, choosing the second option will provide you with at least $30,000 more over your lifetime.
It will also provide you with a more secure income at age sixty-six and beyond when considering that. If your goal is to reduce the risk of outliving your money, you will want to use the option that gives you the highest income for the rest of your life.
This may mean not starting to receive benefits right away, even if you are eligible to receive them. If you wait until age sixty or seventy and receive more, you will have higher total Social Security payments over your lifetime.
What you need to claim Social Security survivor benefits
When applying for Social Security survivor benefits, you will need to bring several documents with you, including:
- Proof of death, either from the funeral home or death certificate
- Your Social Security number as well as your deceased spouse’s number
- Your birth certificate
- Your marriage certificate if you are a widow or widower
- Social Security numbers for dependent children and their birth certificates
Source: https://www.thebalancemoney.com/social-security-survivor-benefits-for-a-spouse-2388918
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