Social Security Survivor Benefits for Spouses

I recently explained some facts about Social Security spousal benefits and upon doing so discovered there were some questions related to the linkage of spousal and survivor benefits. I delved deeper into survivor benefits and found some interesting facts about them as well.

Survivor vs spousal benefits. Survivor benefits are separate from spousal benefits. While spousal benefits are capped at 50% of the workers full retirement amount (FRA), survivor benefits can pay up to 100 % of what the deceased was receiving or entitled to receive. Taking a reduced spousal benefit earlier than FRA does not reduce the survivor benefit you may receive later.

Survivor Benefits

Marriage Duration. A current spouse must have been married at least 9 months to qualify for survivor benefits. A divorced surviving ex-spouse must have been married at least 10 years.

Flexibility in choosing benefits. Survivors can choose which benefit to take first. You may claim a survivor benefit as early as age 60 (50 if disabled) and allow your own benefit to grow until age 70,or claim your own benefit as early as age 62 and file for the maximum survivor benefit at FRA. This flexibility allows you to maximize long-term income.

Effect of the deceased spouse’s filing age.

If the deceased filed early, your survivor benefit is protected by an 82.5% floor of their FRA when you claim at your own FRA.

If the deceased died before filing and before FRA, your survivor benefit is based on 100% of their FRA amount if you claim at your FRA or later.

If the deceased died after FRA without filing, you inherit any delayed retirement credits they earned up until the month of death.

Remarriage rules. Remarriage after age 60 (or age 50 if disabled) does not affect eligibility for survivor benefits from a deceased spouse. Remarriage before age 60 generally ends eligibility.

Maximizing your benefit. Your spouse’s filing age sets the ceiling for your survivor benefit, but you can still maximize what you receive by waiting until your own FRA to claim the survivor benefit. To reiterate, taking a reduced spousal benefit earlier than FRA does not reduce the survivor benefit you may receive later.