How do Social Security survivor benefits work for a widow or widower?

Rules checked October 18, 2026, against ssa.gov

Who qualifies

When a worker who paid into Social Security dies, a husband or wife can get monthly benefits on that worker's record. Social Security lists these paths (SSA: Survivors Benefits booklet):

A widow or widower generally must have been married to the worker for at least nine months before the death. There are exceptions, for example if you had a child together or adopted the worker's child during the marriage (SSA Handbook section 401). For a divorced spouse, the marriage must have lasted at least 10 years, unless the divorced spouse is caring for the worker's child under 16 or a disabled child.

How much a survivor gets

The survivor benefit is based on what the late spouse was receiving, or would have received. It depends on how old the survivor is when the survivor benefit starts (SSA: What you could get from survivor benefits):

Full retirement age for survivor benefits is slightly different from the one for retirement benefits. It falls between 66 and 67, depending on your birth date. Social Security has a survivor full retirement age lookup where you enter your birth date.

Two features make survivor benefits different from spousal benefits:

• The late spouse's delay credits carry over. If your spouse waited past full retirement age and was getting a larger benefit, the survivor benefit is based on that larger amount. A worker who waits to 70 raises the benefit their widow or widower can get.
• Waiting past your own survivor full retirement age doesn't add more. The survivor benefit tops out at 100% of what the late spouse got or would have got.

There is also a family maximum, which is 150% to 180% of the worker's basic benefit. If several family members (for example a widow and two children) are paid on the same record, everyone's payment may be reduced to stay under it. Payments to a divorced spouse don't count toward this limit.

If your spouse claimed early: the widow(er)'s limit

If the late spouse started their own retirement benefit before full retirement age, the survivor benefit is capped by a rule Social Security staff call the "RIB-LIM," short for retirement insurance benefit limit. Under this rule, a widow or widower's benefit is limited to the larger of (SSA POMS RS 00615.320):

• the reduced amount the late spouse was getting (or would have been getting if they had lived), or
• 82.5% of the late spouse's primary insurance amount (PIA), which is the benefit they would have received at full retirement age.

The limit is checked after your own age reduction. So it matters most for survivors who wait until or close to their survivor full retirement age.

Switching between your own and the survivor benefit

If you have your own retirement benefit too, Social Security won't add the two together. It pays the higher one. But unlike spousal benefits, survivor benefits let you take one now and switch to the other later (SSA blog: If your spouse passes away). That opens two main strategies:

The reason this works: taking a reduced survivor benefit early does not reduce your own retirement benefit, and taking your own benefit early does not reduce the survivor benefit you can claim later. Each one is figured separately. Social Security's survivor page gives the example of moving from a survivor benefit to your own retirement benefit at 70.

A few cautions:

• The earnings test still applies. If you are under full retirement age and still working, Social Security may hold back part of either benefit. See our guide to working while collecting.
• You have to ask. If you are already getting your own benefit when your spouse dies, Social Security says you must contact them and complete an application to be checked for the survivor benefit. If you were getting a spousal benefit, it converts to a survivor benefit when you report the death.
• Survivor benefits can't be filed for online. You apply by phone or at an office.

Remarriage

If you remarry before 60 (before 50 if you have a disability), you generally can't get survivor benefits on your late spouse's record while that marriage lasts. If you remarry at 60 or later (50 or later if disabled), remarriage does not stop survivor benefits. At 62 or older, you could get benefits on your new spouse's record instead if those would be higher (SSA: Survivors Benefits booklet).

For many widows and widowers in their 60s, this means remarriage is not a Social Security problem. For someone in their 50s it can be, and the timing is worth checking with Social Security first.

The $255 lump-sum death payment

Social Security also pays a one-time $255 death payment if the worker had enough work credits. Only a surviving spouse or a child who meets Social Security's requirements can get it, and there is only one payment per death. You must apply within two years of the death. If you were already getting spousal benefits, you still need to contact Social Security to claim the $255 (SSA FAQ: Who can get survivors benefits?).

Public pensions and the end of the GPO

Until recently, the Government Pension Offset (GPO) was the biggest obstacle for widows and widowers who worked in public jobs that didn't pay into Social Security. It cut the survivor benefit by two-thirds of the survivor's own government pension. With a $3,000 pension, a $2,100 survivor benefit dropped to $100 (SSA: Government Pension Offset fact sheet).

The Social Security Fairness Act, signed January 5, 2025, ended the GPO for benefits payable for January 2024 and later (SSA: Social Security Fairness Act update). For a retired teacher, firefighter or CSRS federal retiree whose spouse paid into Social Security, the survivor benefit is now figured the same way as for anyone else.

• If you are already getting a reduced survivor benefit, Social Security was to adjust it and pay the increase back to January 2024.
• If you never applied because the GPO would have wiped the benefit out, you may need to apply now. Survivor applications are not available online: call 1-800-772-1213.
• For new applications, back payments for survivor benefits are generally limited to six months before the month you apply, so waiting can cost money.

What to do next

1. Report the death and ask about benefits. Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213. Funeral homes often report deaths, but you still need to apply for survivor benefits yourself.
2. Gather documents. Social Security asks for proof of death, Social Security numbers, birth and marriage certificates, and the late spouse's W-2s or self-employment return for the last year, as listed in the Survivors Benefits booklet. Originals or certified copies are required.
3. Ask for both numbers. Ask for your survivor benefit at several start ages and your own benefit at 70. That shows whether a switch strategy is worth it.
4. If you have a public pension, check your pension's survivor option too. Social Security survivor benefits are separate from the survivor option you or your spouse chose with PERS, DRS or OPM.

General information, not advice. We aren't part of the Social Security Administration. For official survivor and retirement figures, call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or visit a local office.