Social Security benefits are typically thought of as retirement income, but if a family member passes away, you may be eligible for survivors benefits under their account. The primary beneficiaries of a deceased person’s Social Security payments are often widows and widowers, although other dependents and family members are also eligible to apply for these survivors benefits.
The methods to apply for the benefit and determine your eligibility are listed below.
How to apply for Social Security survivors benefits
When a loved one passes away, the surviving family members must take care of a number of financial obligations while grieving. Making sure the Social Security Administration (SSA) is informed as soon as possible of the death is one of these duties. However, you won’t be able to report it online. Call the SSA directly at 1-800-772-1213 if you need to submit a death notice, or go in person to the location that is most convenient for you.
In order to ensure that the benefits are given to the appropriate qualifying family members, you might also need to file for survivors benefits in addition to filing a notification. Those benefits can significantly impact the financial situation of surviving spouses or young children. The average monthly retirement payout, according to the Social Security Administration, is $1,669 (as of June 2022). You might be qualified to receive your deceased spouse’s entire monthly payment depending on your relationship to them and your age.
How are survivors benefits determined?
You are eligible for survivors payments if you were married to the dead for at least nine months before to his or her demise and are 60 years of age or older (or 50 years of age with a disability). However, these advantages are not just available to surviving spouses. All other forms of familial connections, including the ones listed below, may also qualify:
- A widow or widower receiving child benefits and caring for the deceased’s child who is under 16 or has a disability
- An under-18-year-old unmarried child (or up to 19, if going to elementary or secondary school full time)
- A child who is 18 or older and whose handicap started before they were 22
- A few surviving divorced partners
- Whether adopted, a stepchild, a grandchild, or a stepgrandchild
- Parents of the deceased who are 62 years of age or older and who received at least half of their support from the deceased
How much of Social Security benefits do widows and widowers get?
The percentage that a widow or widower receives from the deceased’s monthly benefits vary depending on their full retirement age and a few other things. Full retirement age for those who were born after 1960 is 67 years old. Use the SSA’s calculator to establish your full retirement age if you were born before that date.
Here is a list of the possible benefits for a widow or widower, along with percentage breakdowns. Also keep in mind that the widow or widower will receive larger payments the more the dead paid into Social Security.
- 100 percent of the deceased employee’s benefit amount if they were full retirement age or older
- Between the ages of 60 and full retirement age, 71 1/2 to 99 percent of people are widows or widowers.
- Widow or widower with a disability who is between the ages of 50 and 59: 71.2 percent
- 75 percent of widows and widowers, regardless of age, who are raising a child under 16
- 75 percent if the child is under 18 (or under 19 if enrolled in school) or has a disability.
- 81 12 percent (if there is only one surviving parent) or 75 percent to each of the dependent parents of the dead worker who are 62 years of age or older (if two surviving parents).
You can be eligible for a lump-sum death payment of $255, in addition to the percentage of monthly benefits.
When is it possible for a survivor to get Social Security benefits?
The SSA states that beneficiaries’ survivors may be able to start receiving benefits as early as the beneficiary’s death month. Additionally, the SSA warns that some benefits could not be retroactive, so it’s crucial to file for the benefits right away. Thus, if you wait three months, for instance, those last three checks could not be eligible for reimbursement.
To apply for survivors benefits, what is required?
You won’t need to submit an application if you were already getting spousal benefits when your spouse passed away. The SSA will instead automatically swap your benefits for those of your spouse. If not, fill out Form SSA-10 and obtain the following paperwork:
- Evidence of death
- birth certificate or another form of identification
- Military discharge documents if you were in the military before 1968, or proof of U.S. citizenship if you were not born in the country.
- The two forms (SSA-3368 and SSA-827) that detail your medical condition and provide the SSA permission to share information are for disability benefits.
- W-2 forms or the prior year’s self-employment tax returns
- If applying as a surviving divorced spouse, the final divorce judgment
- a marriage license
- Your checking account to set up direct deposit
