Many people have the same concerns about their social security checks. One of the biggest concerns is what happens after a spouse passes away. Where does that money go?
You are entitled to survivor benefits if you meet a few criteria. One is that you must have been married for at least 9 months before the late spouse had passed. There is not a 9 month waiting period if the death was accidental in nature. The survivor’s benefit amount will be 100 percent if the survivor is of full retirement age. This age is 66 years old currently, but will gradually change to 67 years old to be considered for full retirement benefits within the next few years. Once a spouse passes, one can report the death and call 800-772-1213 or go to their nearest social security office to apply for survivorship benefits.
If survivorship benefits are being applied for and you are below full retirement age then you will be given a percentage of the total amount based on your current age. Generally, to qualify the widow must be at least age 60. There are a few ways to apply before that age limit. One is that you can be at least age 50 but must be disabled and the disability occurred within 7 years of the spouse’s death. Another way to receive the benefit would be if you are caring for children from the marriage who are either under 16 or disabled. This last part is especially important because that makes the benefits available at any age. This means that if the spouse who passed was young and there are still school aged children then there is extra income available to the surviving spouse.
Remarrying also has an affect on the survivorship benefits if you are under the age of 60. You lose eligibility if you remarry under the age of 60 but will regain eligibility if that marriage ends. If you are at least age 60, or age 50 and disabled, then remarrying has no effect on the eligibility for the benefits.
The amount of the benefit you receive is based on a few factors. If you are between age 60 and 65 you are not yet considered full retirement age and this will give you a percentage between 71.5 percent and 99 percent of the benefit. If you are in your 50s and disabled and collecting the survivorship benefit, then you will be collecting 71.5 percent of the total benefit. When the basis is caring for a child who is under 16 then you collect 75 percent of the late spouse’s benefit regardless of age.
When collecting from social security you are only entitled to one benefit. So if you are collecting social security on yourself and you spouse passes away, then the higher of the two amounts is what you will be entitled to. It also does not matter if the surviving spouse has worked long enough to collect social security benefits, they are still able to apply for survivorship benefits based on the deceased work record.
