| There are about 4 million surviving spouses receiving monthly Social Security benefits based on their deceased spouse's earnings record. For many of those survivors, those benefits help to provide the necessities of life. If you are working and paying into Social Security, some of those taxes you pay are for survivor’s benefits. Your spouse, children, and parents could be eligible for benefits based on your earnings. Planning for Your Survivors As you plan, you'll want to think about what your family would need if you should die. Social Security can help your family if you have earned enough Social Security credits through your work.
You can earn up to 4 credits each year. In 2024, for example, you earn 1 credit for each $1,730 of wages or self-employment income. When you have earned $6,920 you have earned your 4 credits for the year.
The number of credits needed to provide benefits for your survivors depends on your age when you die. No one needs more than 40 credits (10 years of work) to be eligible for any Social Security benefit. But the younger a person is, the fewer credits they must have for family members to receive survivor’s benefits.
Some survivors can get benefits if you have credit for 1 and 1/2 years of work (6 credits) in the 3 years just before your death.
Social Security survivors’ benefits are paid to widows, widowers, and dependents of eligible workers. This benefit is particularly important for young families with children.
If you are the dependent parent, who is at least age 62, of a worker who dies, you may be eligible to receive Social Security survivor’s benefits.
You must have been receiving at least half of your support from your working child. Also, you must not be eligible to receive a retirement benefit that is higher than the benefit we could pay on your child’s record.
Generally, you must not have married after your deceased adult child’s death. However, there are some exceptions. Besides being the natural parent, you could also be the stepparent, or the adoptive parent if you became the deceased worker’s parent before they were age 16.
If You Are the Survivor 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. That person must have worked long enough under Social Security to be eligible for benefits. You and your family could be eligible for benefits based on the earnings of a worker who died. The deceased person must have worked long enough to qualify for benefits. If you are not getting benefits, you should apply for survivors benefits promptly because, in some cases, benefits may not be retroactive. If you are getting retirement or disability benefits on your own record: - You will need to apply for the survivors’ benefits.
- We will check to see whether you can get a higher benefit as a widow or widower.
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