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Social Security: Survivors Benefits

This guide presents selected U.S. government consumer education from Social Security Administration. References to “we” or “us” in the source material refer to the issuing agency. Source dates and links appear below.

Page references and publication numbers refer to the linked government publication. Figures identified by year apply to that edition, and illustrative examples are not estimates of your own benefit or costs.

The importance of Social Security survivors insurance

The loss of the family wage earner can be devastating both emotionally and financially. Social Security helps by providing income for the families of workers who die.

This booklet gives you an overview of Social Security survivors benefits paid to the spouses and children of workers who die. This booklet isn’t intended to answer all the questions you may have. For more information about our survivors benefits, visit our website, or call our toll-free number.

If you’re working...what you need to know about survivors benefits

Many people think of us only as a retirement program. But some of the Social Security taxes you pay go toward survivors benefits for workers and their families. In fact, the value of the survivors benefits you have under us is probably more than the value of your individual life insurance.

When you die, certain members of your family may be eligible for survivors benefits. These include surviving spouses (and divorced surviving spouses), children, and dependent parents.

How do I earn survivors benefits?

As you work and pay Social Security taxes, you earn credits toward your Social Security benefits. The number of years you need to work for your family to be eligible for Social Security survivors benefits depends on your age when you die. The younger you are, the fewer years you need to have worked. But no one needs more than 10 years of work to be eligible for any Social Security benefit.

Under a special rule, we can pay benefits to your children and your spouse who is caring for the children. This applies if you’ve worked for only 1 and 1/2 years in the 3 years just before your death.

Who can get survivors benefits based on your work?

  • Your surviving spouse may be able to get full benefits at full retirement age. The full retirement age for survivors born from 1945 and 1956 is 66. The full retirement age for survivors increases gradually if you were born from 1957 to 1962. For anyone born 1962 or later, full survivors’ benefits are payable at age 67. This is different from the full retirement age for retirement benefits, which is 67 for people born in 1960 or later. Your surviving spouse can get reduced benefits as early as age 60. If your surviving spouse has a disability, benefits can begin as early as age
  • 50. For more information on survivors benefits, visit www.ssa.gov/survivorplan.
  • Your surviving spouse may be able to get benefits at any age if they take care of your child who is younger than age 16 or who has a disability. The child must be receiving Social Security benefits.
  • Your unmarried children, younger than age 18 (or up to age 19 if they’re attending elementary or secondary school full time), may also be able to get benefits. Your children can get benefits at any age if they had a disability before age 22. Under certain circumstances, we can also pay benefits to your stepchildren, grandchildren, step-grandchildren, or adopted children.
  • Your dependent parents may be able to get benefits if they’re age 62 or older. For your parents to be eligible as dependents, you must have provided at least half of their support.

Benefits for surviving divorced spouses

If you’ve been divorced, your former spouse, age 60 or older (or age 50 to 59 if they have a disability) can get benefits, if your marriage lasted at least 10 years. Your former spouse, however, doesn’t have to meet the age or length-of-marriage rule if they care for your child who is younger than age 16 or who has a disability, and entitled on your record. The child must be yours and your former spouse’s natural or legally adopted child.

Benefits paid to you as the worker’s surviving divorced spouse won’t affect the benefit amounts for other survivors getting benefits on the worker’s record. If you’re the worker’s surviving divorced spouse, and the worker’s child is under age 16 or has a disability and is in your care, your benefit can affect the benefits of others on the record.

One-time Lump-Sum Death Payment

If you’ve worked long enough, we make a one-time payment of $255 when you die. We can only pay this benefit to your spouse or child if they meet certain requirements. Survivors must apply for this payment within 2 years of the date of your death.

How much are benefits?

How much your family can get depends on your average lifetime earnings. The more you earned, the greater their benefits will be.

Your online Social Security Statement (Statement) gives you secure and convenient access to estimates for retirement, disability, and survivors benefits you and your family may be eligible for. It also shows your current earnings record and history. If you do not have a personal my Social Security account, you can easily create one at www.ssa.gov/myaccount.

Online my Social Security account

You can easily set up a personal my Social Security account. This allows you to access your Statement to check your earnings and get your benefit estimates. You can also use your personal my Social Security account to request a replacement Social Security number (SSN) card (available in some states and the District of Columbia).

If you receive Social Security benefits, you can also:

  • Get your benefit verification letter.
  • Change your address and phone number.
  • Request a replacement Medicare card.
  • Get a replacement SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S tax form for any of the past 6 years for which benefits were paid.
  • Start or change your direct deposit.

To create a personal my Social Security account, you must be at least 18 years old, have an SSN, and a valid email address. To create an account, go to www.ssa.gov/myaccount.

If you are a new my Social Security customer, you will need to create a credential with one of our two credential service providers, Login.gov or ID.me or sign in with your existing Login.gov or ID.me account. If you don’t have an account, select the “Create an Account with Login.gov” link to start this one-time registration process. If you create a credential with Login.gov, you may still need to provide some additional personal information to verify your identity.

When a family member dies...what you need to know about survivors benefits

How do I apply for benefits?

If you’re not currently getting Social Security benefits

Apply for survivors benefits promptly because, for some claims, we’ll pay benefits from the time you apply and not from the time the worker died.

You can apply by phone or at any Social Security office. We’ll need certain information, but don’t delay applying if you don’t have everything. We’ll help you get what you need. We need either original documents or copies certified by the agency that issued them.

The information we need includes:

  • Proof of death — either from a funeral home or a death certificate.
  • Your SSN, and the deceased worker’s SSN.
  • Your birth certificate.
  • Your marriage certificate if you’re a surviving spouse.
  • Your divorce papers if you’re applying as a surviving divorced spouse.
  • Dependent children’s SSNs, if available, and birth certificates.
  • Deceased worker’s W-2 forms or federal self-employment tax return for the most recent year.
  • The name of your bank and your account number so your benefits can be deposited directly into your account.

If you’re already getting Social Security benefits

If you’re getting benefits as a spouse based on your spouse’s work, we’ll change your payments to survivors benefits when you report your spouse’s death. If we need more information, we’ll contact you.

If you’re getting benefits based on your own work, call or visit us. We’ll check to see if you can get more money as a surviving spouse. If so, you’ll get a combination of benefits that equals the higher amount. You must complete an application to receive survivors benefits. We may also need your spouse’s death certificate.

How much will I receive?

We base the benefit amount on the earnings of the person who died. The more the worker paid into Social Security, the greater your benefits will be.

We use the deceased worker’s basic benefit amount to calculate the percentage survivors can get. The percentage depends on the survivor’s age and relationship to the worker. If the worker who died was getting reduced benefits, we’ll base your survivor’s benefit on that amount.

In most typical claims for benefits a:

  • Surviving spouse, at full retirement age or older, generally gets 100% of the worker’s basic benefit amount.
  • Surviving spouse, age 60 or older, but younger than full retirement age, gets between 71.5% and 99% of the worker’s basic benefit amount.
  • Surviving spouse, any age, with a child younger than age 16, gets 75% of the worker’s benefit amount.
  • Child gets 75% of the worker’s benefit amount.

Maximum family benefits

There’s a limit to the benefits we can pay to you and other family members each month. The limit varies between 150% and 180% of the deceased worker’s benefit amount.

Pensions from work not covered by us

The Social Security Fairness Act (SSFA) of 2023 enacted on January 5, 2025, eliminated the reduction of Social Security benefits in the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) for people entitled to certain pensions from work not covered by us. The Act applies to benefits you get on your own record (retirement or disability benefits) and to spouse’s or surviving spouse’s benefits on another person’s record. December 2023 is the last month that WEP and GPO will apply. This means that those rules no longer apply to benefits payable for January 2024 and later.

Note: Social Security benefits payable for January 2024 would generally have been received in February 2024.

What if I work?

If you work while getting Social Security survivors benefits and are younger than full retirement age, we may reduce your benefits if your earnings exceed certain limits. The full retirement age for survivors is 66 for people born from 1945 to 1956. The full retirement age will gradually increase if you were born from 1957 to 1962. For anyone born 1962 or later, full retirement age is 67. To find out what the earnings limits are this year and how earnings above those limits reduce your Social Security benefits, read How Work Affects Your Benefits (Publication No. 05-10069).

There’s no earnings limit beginning with the month you reach full retirement age.

Also, your earnings will reduce only your benefits, not the benefits of other family members.

What if I remarry?

Usually, you can’t get surviving spouse’s benefits if you remarry before age 60 (or age 50 if you have a disability). But remarriage after age 60 (or age 50 if you have a disability) won’t prevent you from getting benefit payments based on your former spouse’s work. At age 62 or older, you can get benefits on your new spouse’s work, if those benefits would be higher.

Right to appeal

If you disagree with a decision made on your claim, you can appeal it. For an explanation of the steps you can take, read Your Right To Question The Decision Made On Your Claim (Publication No. 05-10058).

Sources and publication details

The federal agency source text is U.S. government work in the public domain. Fynoptic selected, adapted, and formatted it for this guide. No agency endorsement is implied. Follow the linked sources for current program details and the rules applicable to your circumstances.

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