When someone who receives Social Security bene𓃲fits dies, those close to them may become eligible for benefits. Several survivors may be eligible: a spouse, ex-spouse(s), minor children, disabled adult children, and dependent parent꧟s. In certain cases, stepchildren, grandchildren, and step-grandchildren are also eligible.

How to Qualify

Those who may qualify for survivor benefits include:

• A surviving spouse age 60 or older (age 50 or older if they are disabled)
• A surviving spouse of any age who has not remarried and is caring for the deceased's child (or children) who are under age 16 or are disabled
• An unmarried child of the deceased who is younger than age 18 (or up to age 19 if a full-time student in an elementary or secondary school), or 18 or older with a disability that began before age 22
• A stepchild, grandchild, or step-grandchild under certain circumstances
• Parents, age 62 or older, who were dependent on the deceased for at least half of their income and whose own Social Security benefit would not be larger than that of the deceased offspring
• A surviving divorced spouse, if they meet other eligibility requirements
  

Calculating Benefits

As with retirement benefits, the amount of survivor benefits a family gets is based on a worker's average lifetime earnings. The more they earn, the higher the benefit. Benefits are based on how much the deceased would have collected at 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:full retirement age if still living.

Benefit Amounts

Spouses: A surviving spouse at full retirement age (e.g. age 67 if you were born after 1960) can receive 100% of the deceased's benefit. A surviving spouse between age 60 and full retirement age can receive 71.5% to 99% of that benefit. A surviving spouse between ages 50 and 59 can receive 71.5%. A surviving spouse of any age who is caring for a child under age 16 can receive 75%.

Divorced spouses: Divorced spouses who have not remarried may be eligible to receive benefits at the same percentages as surviving spouses, as long as they were married to their former spouse for at least 10 years.

Children: Children under age 18 (or 19, if still attending primary or secondary school) and adult disabled dependent children can receive 75% of the deceased's benefit.

Dependent Parent: A surviving dependent parent can receive 82.5% of the benefit. If there are two dependent parent survivors, they are eligible to collect 75% each.

Rules for Surviving Spouses

Surviving spouses who already claim 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:retirement benefits can only apply for benefits as a survivor if their current retirement benefit is less than the survivor benefit would be. The 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Social Security Administration (SSA) pays the higher of the two benefits.

Surviving spouses who are eligible for retirement benefits but who haven't applied yet can apply for either retirement or survivor benefits—that is, choose whichever comes with the higher benefit.

If both payouts are about the same, then consider taking the survivor benefit first, at age 60. That benefit will be reduced because you're taking it early. Still, you can collect it from age 60 to 70 while your retirement benefit grows. Then at age 70, you can collect your own retirement benefit, when it's maxed out.

Blackout Period

A surviving spouse generally doesn't qualify for their survivor benefits until age 60. However, they can collect payouts as the caregiver for the deceased's children under age 16. Children then qualify for benefits paid to the surviving parent until they turn 18 (or 19, if they are still in school). A blackout occurs between the child's 18th birthday when their survivor benefits cease and the spouse's 60th birthday when their benefits resume.

If a woman is left widowed at the age of 30 with a two-year-old son, she is entitled to collect Social Security benefits for 14 years, until his 16th birthday. After that, her son gets survivor benefits for two more years, until he's 18. His mom will be 46 at that point, leaving the family ineligible for any payments until her widow's benefits become available when she's 60. In this case, the Social Security blackout period lasts 14 years.

One possible solution is for families to have adequate life insurance to support a surviving spouse during any blackout period. If a couple buys two 30-year 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:term life insurance policies at age 31, they'll be assured coverage until age 🦋61.

The Bottom Line

Social Security doesn't only pay out benefits to retirees. It also pays out benefits to disabled people and to the spouses and dependents of those who were eligible for benefits before they died. If you have questions about your eligibility to receive benefits as a survivor, reach out to the Social Security Administration. You can apply over the phone or in person.