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Janice’s husband died suddenly last year after having a stroke. The couple were a few years away from retirement. Janice, 62, was waiting to claim Social Security at 65 when she’d also be eligible for Medicare benefits.
Her late husband made more money over the course of his career, so he would have received a bigger Social Security retirement benefit. Now she’s wondering if she can collect both his retirement benefit and her own at the same time.
The short answer is no. But here’s a more detailed look at what Social Security benefits you are entitled to after your spouse dies.
The main types of Social Security payments are retirement, disability and survivor benefits.
Retirement benefits include both retired-worker benefits and spousal benefits. A married couple of retirement age is eligible for two checks from the Social Security Administration (SSA):
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either two retired-worker benefits if both partners worked, or
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one retired-worker benefit and one spousal benefit for the spouse who doesn’t have a retired-worker benefit
A spousal benefit can be as much as 50% of a retired worker’s Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is the monthly benefit they are entitled to at full retirement age. If their working spouse passes away, the spousal benefit may be replaced by survivor benefits.
If you’re a surviving spouse, like Janice, you can claim either your retired-worker benefit or your late spouse’s, whichever is higher.
According to The National Academy of Social Insurance, this may substantially lower a surviving spouse’s income, as they’re only receiving one monthly benefit rather than the two they could have collected if their spouse were alive.
The amount Janice receives will be based on her late husband’s work record and whether he reached full retirement age, typically between 66 and 67 years of age.
If a surviving spouse is already receiving benefits based on their own work record, they should contact the SSA to find out if they can get more money from collecting survivor benefits.
