Social Security Survivor Benefits

Social Security survivor benefits are paid to eligible family members when a worker who has earned sufficient Social Security credits passes away. The most common recipient is the surviving spouse, who may be eligible for up to 100% of the deceased worker's benefit — significantly more than the 50% spousal benefit available while both spouses are alive.

A surviving spouse can begin receiving reduced survivor benefits as early as age 60 (age 50 if disabled). The full survivor benefit is available at the survivor's Full Retirement Age. If the deceased worker had been receiving a reduced benefit due to early claiming, the survivor benefit may be based on a minimum floor calculation, but early claiming by the deceased worker can still reduce the amount available to the survivor.

One strategy that may be worth exploring involves the interaction between survivor benefits and the survivor's own retirement benefit. A surviving spouse can potentially claim one type of benefit first (whichever is smaller) while allowing the other to grow. For example, a surviving spouse might claim survivor benefits at age 60 while letting their own retirement benefit grow until age 70, or vice versa.

Survivor benefits are also available to divorced spouses if the marriage lasted at least 10 years. Children under age 18 (or 19 if still in high school), dependent parents age 62 or older, and disabled children of any age may also qualify. A one-time lump-sum death payment of $255 may be available to the surviving spouse or child.

Understanding how survivor benefits work is an important part of planning as a couple. The claiming decision of the higher-earning spouse has long-term implications for the surviving spouse's income, as the smaller of the two Social Security benefits effectively disappears when one spouse passes away.