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You may qualify if you’re the spouse, divorced spouse, child, or dependent parent of someone who worked and paid Social Security taxes before they died. See if you're eligible for Survivor benefits.
Oct 10, 2018 · When a Social Security beneficiary dies, his or her surviving spouse is eligible for survivor benefits. About 3.8 million widows and widowers, including some who were divorced from late beneficiaries, were receiving survivor benefits as of December 2023.
May 27, 2022 · If you are a widow (or your ex-spouse died), you may be eligible to receive benefits on your late spouse’s, or ex-spouse’s, Social Security record. How much you receive will depend on your age, the amount of benefits you may receive on your own record, and whether you have dependent children.
Just as you plan for your family's protection if you die, you should consider the Social Security benefits that may be available if you are the survivor. For benefits purposes, we consider a survivor to be the spouse, child, or parent of a worker who dies.
You might be eligible for Survivor benefits if your spouse, ex-spouse, or parent worked and paid Social Security taxes before they died.
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.
Your family members may receive survivors benefits if you die. If you are working and paying into Social Security, some of those taxes you pay are for survivors benefits. Your spouse, children, and parents could be eligible for benefits based on your earnings.
