Survivor Benefits

Social Security survivor benefits are payments made by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to family members of a worker who has passed away. These benefits are designed to provide financial support to the deceased worker's survivors, such as spouses, children, and in some cases, dependent parents, to help compensate for the loss of income after the worker's death.

The Restricted Application strategy, which allows you to claim one type of Social Security benefit while delaying another, is still valid as it relates to survivor benefits. Unlike retirement benefits, where the restricted application has been phased out for those born after January 1, 1954, survivors still have the option to choose whether to claim survivor benefits first or retirement benefits first and then shift to the other, potentially higher benefit. This gives surviving spouses flexibility with their strategy as they can elect to file for survivor benefits as early as age 60 (or age 50 if disabled) while allowing their own retirement benefits to grow with delayed retirement credits until age 70, or they can claim their retirement benefits first as early as age 62 and delay taking the survivor benefit for a potentially larger amount later, up until Full Retirement Age (FRA). This decision can help maximize overall Social Security income depending on individual circumstances. If a surviving spouse has already filed for their own benefit, the remaining choice would be when to file for the survivor benefit.

To be clear, survivor benefits do not increase past the surviving spouse's FRA.

Here’s an overview of Social Security survivor benefits and who qualifies for them:

  1. Surviving Spouse Benefits:
    • Full Benefits: A surviving spouse can receive full survivor benefits at their FRA, which is between 66 and 67, depending on their birth year.
    • Reduced Benefits: A surviving spouse can start receiving reduced benefits as early as age 60 (or age 50 if disabled). The earlier they begin claiming, the smaller the monthly payment will be.
    • If Caring for a Child: If the surviving spouse is caring for the deceased’s child who is under age 16 or disabled, they can receive a child-in-care survivor benefits at any age.
  2. Divorced Spouse Survivor Benefits:
    • A divorced spouse may be eligible for survivor benefits if the marriage lasted at least 10 years or a combination of years if married several times, and they have not remarried before age 60 (or age 50 if disabled).
    • The benefit amount is the same as that for a surviving spouse can can be claimed by as many spouses as are eligible on the deceased's record.
  3. Children’s Benefits:
    • Children under the age of 18 (or up to 19 if still in high school) can receive survivor benefits.
    • Disabled children who became disabled before the age of 22 and are still dependent can continue to receive benefits for as long as they remain disabled.
    • Each child is eligible for 75% of the deceased parent's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), but limited to the family or combined family maximum benefit.
      • Note: Children's benefits are paid on the child's Social Security number and since they are not likely earning significant dollars, those benefits are typically not taxed at any level.
  1. Dependent Parent Benefits:
    • If the deceased worker was providing at least half of the financial support to their parent(s), the parent(s) may be eligible for survivor benefits if they are age 62 or older.
    • Each dependent is eligible for 75% of the deceased parent's PIA, but limited to the family or combined family maximum benefit.
  2. Lump-Sum Death Benefit:
    • The SSA provides a one-time death payment of $255 to the surviving spouse or eligible children, often referred to as a death benefit.

How A Spouse or Ex-Spouse's Survivor Benefits are Calculated

1. If the Deceased Spouse Had Filed for Benefits:

If the spouse who passed away had already filed for Social Security benefits (retirement or disability) before their death, the survivor benefits are generally based on the benefit amount the deceased spouse was receiving at the time of death, with some adjustments:

  • The surviving spouse will receive a percentage of the deceased’s actual monthly benefit. The benefit amount will depend on factors like the survivor’s age and whether the surviving spouse has other benefits.
  • If the deceased spouse was receiving benefits before FRA (i.e., they filed early at age 62 and accepted a reduced benefit), the survivor’s benefit will be based on that reduced amount. However, the survivor still has the option to wait until their own FRA to receive the full survivor benefit (which is 100% of the deceased's benefit at their time of death).

    • The Widow(er)'s Limit Provision applies when the deceased spouse filed for their retirement benefits before reaching FRA and received a reduced benefit due to early filing. Without this provision, the surviving spouse would automatically receive a reduced survivor benefit, which could leave them with significantly less income.

      This rule ensures that the survivor benefit won't drop too low when a deceased spouse had already taken early retirement.

      • Under this rule, if the deceased spouse filed early, the survivor benefit is limited to the higher of 82.5% of the deceased spouse’s FRA benefit or PIA, or The actual reduced amount the deceased was receiving at the time of death.

        This means the survivor won’t receive less than 82.5% of the deceased spouse’s PIA at FRA, even if the deceased filed early and took a reduced benefit.

  • If the deceased had delayed filing for Social Security beyond FRA to accrue delayed retirement credits, the survivor benefits will include this additional amount. The survivor will benefit from the increased monthly amount that results from those delayed retirement credits, receiving up to 100% of what the deceased would have received at the time of their death if the surviving spouse files at or after their FRA.

2. If the Deceased Spouse Had Not Filed for Benefits:

If the spouse died before filing for Social Security benefits, the calculation for survivor benefits becomes slightly different:

  • If the deceased spouse passes after age 62 but prior to their FRA, the survivor’s benefits will be calculated as if the deceased had filed for their benefits at their FRA, reduced further if the surviving spouse files for the survivor benefit prior to their FRA .
    • If the deceased spouse passes prior to age 62, the same rule applies, but an alternate PIA calculation applies. See Alternate PIA.
  • If the deceased spouse was eligible for benefits and delayed filing past FRA, the survivor could receive the increased benefits (with delayed retirement credits) if the surviving spouse files after FRA.

Survivor benefits are based on the deceased worker's PIA, which is the benefit they would have received at FRA (or were receiving if already claiming). If the deceased spouse died prior to age 62, an alternate PIA calculation is used. See the following link for more detail. Here’s how survivor benefits work:

How A Dependent's Survivor Benefits are Calculated

  • Each dependent (eligible child or parent) can receive up to 75% of the deceased’s PIA.
  • Benefits are limited by the Family Maximum Benefit (FMB) and Combined Family Maximum Benefit (CFMB)
  • Family Maximum: There’s a family maximum limit, typically between 150% and 180% of the deceased worker's PIA, which caps the total amount that can be paid to all family members.
  • The Combined Family Maximum and the Family Maximum are important concepts in Social Security when multiple beneficiaries are involved, especially for spousal, children's, and survivor benefits.
    • The Family Maximum limits the total amount of Social Security benefits payable to a family based on a worker’s earnings record.
    • The Combined Family Maximum applies when a family is entitled to Social Security benefits from multiple earnings records. This often happens in cases where both parents are retired, disabled, or deceased, and benefits may be claimed based on both parents' work records.

Earnings Limitations

Survivors who work while receiving Social Security benefits may be subject to an earnings test if they have not yet reached FRA. This means that if the survivor earns more than a certain limit, their benefits could be reduced until they reach FRA.

Benefit Allocation

The surviving spouse typically elects the allocation of benefits to dependents. This strategy may help avoid limitations by the earnings test, reduce taxes, enable child-in-care benefits and multiple children's ages.

Eligibility Requirements

  • The deceased worker must have earned enough Social Security credits through work (up to a maximum of 40 credits, or about 10 years of work). There are adjustments to eligibility for those passing early in life.
  • The surviving spouse or family member must meet certain age, marital status, and dependency requirements to qualify.

Special Circumstances

  • Remarriage: If a surviving spouse remarries before age 60, they are not eligible for survivor benefits while married. However, remarriage after age 60 (or age 50 if disabled) will not affect eligibility for survivor benefits while married.
  • Disability: Surviving spouses who are disabled can begin receiving reduced survivor benefits as early as age 50, provided the disability occurred before or within seven years of the spouse’s death.

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