How Long Do You Get Survivor Benefits
If My Spouse Dies, Do I Get His Social Security and Mine?
- Updated September 25, 2020
The 2020 Widows Benefits Guide & Calculator
The curt answer is that y'all cannot collect both your ain Social Security benefits and survivor benefits at the same time. But it's a bit more complicated than that. We pause down what you need to know most benefits after the passing of a spouse.
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Contents
Chapter one: What are survivor benefits?
While many people associate Social Security benefits with payouts to retired workers, the Social Security Administration in fact distributes several dissimilar kinds of beneifts. These include both benefits for the families of a deceased worker, besides equally benefits for people who are disabled and then unable to work.
Social Security survivor benefits (often referred to as "widows benefits") provide an important source of income for family members whose workers have passed away. As long equally the deceased worker would have been eligible to collect Social Security benefits upon their retirement, their family unit members volition be able to collect them in their stead.
If the deceased worker would have been eligible to collect Social Security benefits upon their retirement, their family unit may exist able to collect them in their stead.
Chapter ii:
Who is eligible for survivor benefits from Social Security?
Survivor benefits are non express to the surviving spouse. The following people tin can receive survivor benefits:
If you were married to the deceased for at least 9 months, you lot could be eligible for survivors benefits.
Affiliate 3: How are Social Security Survivor Benefits Calculated?
When a worker pays into the Social Security organization over the course of their life, they accumulate credits. A worker can receive up to four credits a twelvemonth. For example, in 2020, workers will receive i credit for every $i,410 they earn. When your spouse has earned $five,640, they take earned their iv credits for the yr.
In order to claim retirement, a worker needs forty credits. However, the number of credits required to provide survivor benefits for the worker's family unit depends on the worker'due south historic period when they die. This means that the younger a person is when they pass away, the fewer credits they will need for their family members receive survivor benefits.
When someone retires, or when they dice, the amount of their do good is calculated based on their earnings over their lifetime. This is the amount that survivors will receive all or part of. To calculate their benefit, Social Security adds up the worker's income during the years they fabricated the nigh coin. They so index that total against average wages across the country during those years. This results in the worker's "Average Indexed Monthly Earnings" (AIME). The Social Security Assistants only includes the portion of a worker'south income up to the maximum taxable earnings limit. This is the amount that is taxed for Social Security—in 2020, that's $137,700. If your spouse earned more than that, the higher earnings will not exist included in the adding considering these monies were not taxed by Social Security.
Fifty-fifty if you were divorced, you could exist eligible for up to 100% of your deceased husband'south benefit.
Social Security then applies a formula to that monthly amount to determine how much your spouse would have received at full retirement. In 2020, that formula is:
-
90% of the first $960 of your AIME;
-
plus 32% of any amount over $960 up to $5,785;
-
plus xv% of any amount over $5,785.
The resulting number is the worker's primary insurance amount (PIA). This is the amount they would have received if they applied for retirement benefits when they reached their full retirement age—non earlier or after.
Chapter 4: How much will you receive in survivor benefits?
After the passing of the worker, Social Security pays a ane-time death benefit of $255 which can be nerveless by the widow or kid.
Then in that location is the (ongoing) monthly Social Security survivor benefit. That benefit is based on the Social Security benefit the worker was receiving (or would have received).
The do good tin be upwards to 100% of what your spouse would have received at full retirement. If the benefit you would receive as a survivor is higher than the benefit you receive on your own, Social Security will pay y'all the higher of the ii amounts, not the 2 combined. Notwithstanding, survivor benefits, dissimilar spousal benefits, don't have to be claimed at the same fourth dimension as yourown retirement benefits. Yous can, in many cases, receive 1 benefit for a time and and so file for the other one later on. This is a common strategy for widows to take to maximize their benefits.
The earliest a widow or widower tin can apply for survivor benefits is historic period sixty (50 if disabled).
Reduction to benefits
The earliest a widow or widower can apply for survivor benefits is historic period 60. (Annotation that if the widow is disabled, and began receiving inability payments before, or within, seven years of the worker's death, they may apply at age 50. Social Security uses the aforementioned definition of disability for survivors as information technology does for workers.)
Widows can merits benefits at any time between 60 and their survivor total retirement age. Notwithstanding, if a widow files for benefits before they have reached their survivor full retirement age (FRA), those benefits will exist reduced a fraction of a percent for each month claimed "early". (Note that your survivor full retirement age is dissimilar from your ain full retirement historic period.)
The Chief Insurance Amount (PIA) is the number Social Security uses to determine survivor benefits. If you apply earlier your survivor total retirement historic period, you volition receive between 71.5% and 99% of your spouse's do good (PIA). A disabled widow or widower anile 50 to 59 would receive 71.five% of their spouse'due south benefit. The per centum scales up for each month that you wait until your survivor full retirement age. Even so, if yous expect to claim survivor benefits until survivor total retirement age, you are eligible for 100%.
How much can y'all earn and still collect survivor benefits?
While information technology tin can seem unfair to non exist able to fully claim both your own and your survivor benefits, at that place are challenge strategies to maximize what you receive. This includes switching from one benefit to the other. Meet an example from one of our users directly below.
Making the right decision on how to maximize your own benefits depends on how much your ain retirement do good vs. survivor benefit would exist, and how long you retrieve you volition be living and needing the money. It also depends on whether you're working.
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Survivors benefits if you accept children
If your spouse dies and you have children with them nether the age of sixteen, so (regardless of your own age), you tin can receive up to 75% of your spouse's benefit. Similarly, if your spouse has children under 16 by a previous marriage, that spouse may receive upwardly to 75% of your spouse's benefit. Also, each child, up to the historic period of eighteen, or xix if even so in secondary school or disabled—may also receive up to 75%.
The maximum a family can receive is up to 180% of the worker's PIA. If ex-spouses receive benefits, it does non in any way bear upon the amount a current spouse will receive (and vice versa). However, if you qualify because you lot have the worker'south kid in your care, your do good will affect the amount of the benefits of others on the worker's record.
If a spouse or former spouse is not caring for the children of the deceased worker, they may still apply for benefits on their own, if they are at to the lowest degree 60 (or 50 if disabled).
Survivors benefits if you are divorced
An ex-spouse is eligible to receive the aforementioned benefits as a current spouse if they were married to the deceased worker for at least ten years and are not currently married. However, if the living ex-spouse remarries earlier age 60, they forfeit their correct to their deceased former spouse's Social Security—unless that subsequent matrimony concluded in decease, divorce, or disparateness. If the living ex-spouse remarries after historic period 60, this dominion doesn't apply.
How much a spouse or former spouse receives depends on several factors including when they file for benefits and whether they are still working and earning coin.
Chapter five:
Maximizing your benefit
Many people ask "can I collect my deceased spouse'due south social security and my own at the same time?" In fact, you cannot simply add together togetherboth a survivor benefit and your own retirement benefit. Instead, Social Security will pay the higher of the two amounts.
If the benefit you would receive as a survivor is higher than your ain earned benefit, Social Security pays the higher of the two amounts –non the two combined.
While it can seem unfair to not be able to claim both total benefits, there are challenge strategies you tin can use to maximize the total Social Security benefits you receive. This includes switching from one benefit to the other. See an example from one of our users directly below.
Making the right decision on how to maximize your own benefits depends on how much your ain retirement benefit vs. survivor benefit would be, and how long you think you will be living and needing the coin. It also depends on whether you're working.
Below we outline a few additional scenarios, and different strategies and considerations for each.
- If your retirement benefit is less than the one you would receive as a survivor… yous can utilise to receive the higher amount even if you are receiving retirement benefit payments.
- If you are over 60 and remarried, and your current spouse is a Social Security beneficiary… you may utilise for spousal benefits on your current spouse'south record or opt to take your one-time spouse's survivor benefits. Depending on whichever is college (your own and either your spousal benefits or your survivor benefits), you can determine to claim a combination of benefits equal to the higher amount.
- If you are already receiving your own retirement benefits when your spouse dies… then the optimal strategy depends on how long you have been receiving your own benefits. If you accept been receiving your retirement benefit for less than 12 months when your spouse dies, you couldwithdraw your retirement awarding and simply take your survivors do good at present (and afterward switch back to your own benefit). If you lot take been receiving your retirement benefit for more than than 12 months when your spouse dies, you lot can only apply for survivors benefits if the benefit of your spouse's account is more than than the benefit y'all receive on your own.
- If you are already receiving spousal benefits when your spouse dies… Social Security will convert your do good to survivors benefits, which are upwardly to 100% of your late spouse's full retirement do good (compared to 50% for spousal benefits).
Affiliate 6:
How to apply for survivor benefits
A widow, widower, or surviving divorced spouse cannot apply online for survivors benefits. You must call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY number at i-800-325-0778.) Alternatively, yous tin can become in person to your local Social Security field office.
To use for Social Security survivor benefits, you must accept the post-obit documents:
- Proof of death (either from a funeral home or a decease document—note that it must be a certified copy)
- Both your own Social Security number and that of the deceased worker
- Your nativity document
- Your marriage document (if y'all are a widow or widower)
- Your divorce certificate (again, if yous are a widow or widower—and note that it must be a certified copy)
- Dependent children's Social Security numbers, if bachelor, and nativity certificates
- Deceased worker'south W-ii forms or federal cocky-employment tax return for the well-nigh contempo twelvemonth
Unlike other Social Security benefits, you cannot apply for survivors benefits online. You must call the SSA or go in person to your local Social Security field office.
Applying and ensuring you claim the right benefit at the right time for your personal finances can be confusing. When yous're ready to apply, nosotros recommendusing a checklist to ensure you accept the right steps and have the right documentation.
The bottom line
Many Americans depend on Social Security as a critical source of income, particularly in retirement. This is particularly true for people who have lost a spouse. All the same if you lot do non know the facts around Social Security benefits, it's like shooting fish in a barrel to lose money depending on when you claim. But while Social Security tin can feel complicated, you are not lonely. Our team of experts is here to aid. When you're ready, nosotros recommend using a Social Security benefits computer that accounts for survivor benefits. With a comprehensive understanding of what y'all are owed and how Social Security works, y'all can navigate the next chapter of your life with the conviction and financial security you deserve.
Other Social Security articles of involvement
- Guide to Social Security and Death
- Social Security Widows Benefits Checklist
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How Long Do You Get Survivor Benefits,
Source: https://www.simplywise.com/blog/ss-benefits-if-my-spouse-dies/
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