Social Security Widow Benefits - What Happens To Your Social Security Income When One Spouse Dies

When Social Security was first developed, it only paid retirement money to workers who qualified. It was later revised to include benefits for spouses and survivors, which made it more of a family or insurance program, rather then just a retirement plan.

Regrettably, it is inevitable that many spouses will find themselves widowed around their retirement. This is not only a massive loss emotionally, but can be a huge loss financially as well, particularly since the survivor will lose the income earned by the spouse that has died.

The Social Security survivor benefit was developed to ensure that the surviving spouse wouldn't lose all of their income when the first spouse dies. Basically, the survivor income is 100% of the spouse's income before he or she passed. Supposing that both spouses are already receiving Social Security, if the spouse with the greater amount of Social Security passes away first, the spouse with the lower income will get a rise in her income. However if the spouse with the lower benefit passes first, the surviving spouse's income will not change.

There are some guidelines in order to be eligible for Social Security death benefits: The couple must have been married for more than 9 months before the spouse's death, unless his death was a result of an accident. Also, separated spouses may qualify for widow's income as long as they were married for at least 10 years.

Widows can request for survivor benefits starting at age 60, or age 50 if they are disabled. Just as with retirement and spousal benefits, the widow may not prefer to start collecting at age 60 because the benefit will be reduced for every month received before touching full retirement age. A widow can expect to get anywhere from 71.5% to 100% of her departed spouse's benefit depending on how old she is when she starts receiving the survivor benefit.

It's important to note that as a widow you will get the survivor benefit or your own income, whichever is higher. So your benefit will go up if your spouse's benefit was more than your own, however you will still lose one benefit, so your total benefit from Social Security could be 1/3 to 1/2 less than it was before your spouse passed.

An option to help maximize your total benefits considering your spouse passes before you attain full retirement age is to start collecting widow's benefits as soon as your spouse passes (assuming you are at least age 60 or your are age 50 and crippled), then move to your own benefit once you reach your full retirement age. This will permit your own retirement benefits to continue earning credits and therefore will raise your retirement benefit. Or, if the survivor benefit is considerably higher than your own benefit, you could apply for your own benefit early, then move to the survivor benefit when you reach full retirement age.

You may apply for Social Security widow benefits right away after a relative has passed. To do so, you can call the Social Security Administration or visit the office nearby to you. It's important to understand how Social Security survivor benefits operate so you can maximize your retirement income, particularly after the loss of a loved one.

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