SSI Death Benefits for the Widowed and Divorced
- The amount of years a person works determines how much their Social Security benefits will be.worker image by Robert Kelly from Fotolia.com
Every American that legally works accumulates "survivor's life insurance" by paying their Social Security taxes from their wages. This benefit is called Social Security Survivor insurance and can often amount to more than a purchased life insurance policy. When a qualified worker dies, their spouses, ex-spouses, children or dependent parents are entitled to claim Social Security Survivor benefits. - A widow or widower can claim Social Security Survivor benefits if the marriage lasted 10 years or more, and the widow/widower is age 60 or older (age 50 if disabled). Social Security benefits paid to a surviving spouse age 60 or older do not affect the benefit amounts of the other survivor's on record.
The age requirement does not have to be met if claimant is caring for a child under the age of 16, or a disabled child, that is receiving benefits on the record of the deceased spouse. The child must be the natural or legally adopted child of the deceased spouse. Social Security Survivor benefits paid for caring for a child of the deceased can affect other survivors benefit amounts. - If a person's ex-spouse is deceased, a widow or widower can still claim Social Security Survivor benefits. The marriage must have lasted 10 years or more, and the widow/widower has to be age 60 or older (age 50 if disabled). Benefits paid to a surviving spouse age 60 or older do not affect the benefit amount of the other survivors on record.
The age requirement does not have to be met if the person is caring for a child under the age of 16, or a disabled child, that is receiving benefits on the record of the former spouse. The child must be the natural or legally adopted child of the former spouse. Social Security survivor benefits paid for caring for a child of the former spouse, can affect other survivors benefit amounts. - Survivor benefits cannot be claimed if a person remarries after age 60, unless the remarriage ended in divorce, death or annulment.
Once the person has reached age 62, benefits may be paid on the new spouse's record, if that amount is higher. Remarriage has no affect on the benefit amount paid to surviving children. - Widows and widowers can still claim Social Security survivor benefits while working. However, their benefits can be reduced according to the person's age, and how much income they earn.
