What Social Security Survivor Benefits Can I Get?
Choose your relationship to the person who died, enter your date of birth and the date of death, and answer the questions the Social Security Act turns on to see which survivor benefit applies, the share of the worker's benefit it pays, the lump-sum death payment and how to apply.
A surviving spouse from age 6042 U.S.C. § 402(q)(1), (q)(6)(A)(iii), (q)(9)(B)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source, from 5042 U.S.C. § 402(e)(1)(B), (e)(4)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source with a qualifying disability, or at any age while caring for the worker's child who is under 1642 U.S.C. § 402(s)(1)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source or disabled; a surviving divorced spouse on the same terms after a marriage of 10 years42 U.S.C. § 416(d)(2), (d)(5)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source immediately before the divorce; an unmarried child under 1842 U.S.C. § 402(d)(1)(A)-(C)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source, a full-time elementary or secondary school student under 1942 U.S.C. § 402(d)(1)(A)-(C)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source, or a child of any age whose disability began before 2242 U.S.C. § 402(d)(1)(A)-(C)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source; and a dependent parent 6242 U.S.C. § 402(h)(1)(A)-(C), (E)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source or older who received at least half of their support from the worker. The worker must have died insured under the Act: fully insured for the spouse's and parent's benefits, fully or currently insured for a child's benefit and the benefit of a spouse caring for a child.
Each benefit is a share of the deceased worker's primary insurance amount, the benefit the worker would receive at full retirement age. A widow or widower receives 100%42 U.S.C. § 402(e)(2)(A), (f)(2)(A)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source from the survivor full retirement age and 71.5%42 U.S.C. § 402(q)(1), (q)(6)(A)(iii), (q)(9)(B)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source when first claimed at 6042 U.S.C. § 402(q)(1), (q)(6)(A)(iii), (q)(9)(B)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source, with the reduction falling evenly between the two ages. A surviving spouse or former spouse caring for the worker's child receives 75%42 U.S.C. § 402(g)(1)(E), (g)(2)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source at any age. Each child receives 75%42 U.S.C. § 402(d)(2)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source. One dependent parent receives 82.5%42 U.S.C. § 402(h)(2)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source; two parents receive 75%42 U.S.C. § 402(h)(2)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source each. The total paid on one worker's record is capped by the family maximum, so each share can be reduced where several survivors are paid.
A one-time lump-sum death payment of $25542 U.S.C. § 402(i) (Social Security Act § 202(i)), first sentenceVerified Oct 26, 2026View source, or three times the worker's primary insurance amount where that is smaller, paid on the death of a worker who was fully or currently insured. It goes to a surviving spouse who was living in the same household at the time of death; where there is none, to a spouse entitled to benefits on the record for the month of death; where there is none, to the children entitled for that month in equal shares. A surviving divorced spouse is not among the payees. An application must be filed within 2 years42 U.S.C. § 402(i), third sentenceVerified Oct 26, 2026View source after the date of death, on Form SSA-8 by phone or at a Social Security office. The lump-sum death payment page sets it out beside the monthly benefits.
Yes, subject to the earnings test on the survivor's own wages and self-employment earnings. For 2026SSA, Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2026, 90 FR 49047, 49050 (Nov. 3, 2025), Docket No. SSA-2025-0255Verified Oct 26, 2026View source, $1 is withheld for every $2 earned above $24,480SSA, Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2026, 90 FR 49047, 49050 (Nov. 3, 2025), Docket No. SSA-2025-0255Verified Oct 26, 2026View source in a year before the year full retirement age for retirement benefits is reached, and $1 for every $3 earned above $65,160SSA, Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2026, 90 FR 49047, 49050 (Nov. 3, 2025), Docket No. SSA-2025-0255Verified Oct 26, 2026View source in the months before that age in the year it is reached; from that month nothing is withheld. The age that counts is the retirement-benefit full retirement age even for a survivor, not the survivor table. Pensions, annuities, investment income and interest do not count. For a benefit reduced for age, the months withheld are restored in a recomputation at full retirement age.
The monthly survivor application cannot be filed onlineSSA Publication No. 05-10084, Survivors Benefits (April 2026), "How do I apply for benefits?"Verified Oct 26, 2026View source: it is taken by phone or at a Social Security office. A person already receiving spouse's benefits on the worker's record is switched to survivor benefits when the death is reported. A claim can be paid for up to 6 months42 U.S.C. § 402(j)(1) and (4)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source before the application month (12 months42 U.S.C. § 402(j)(1) and (4)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source for a disabled widow or widower), except that a widow's or widower's benefit reduced for age is paid from the application month. No benefit is payable for the month of death; a payment received for that month is returned. SSA asks for proof of death, the Social Security numbers, the survivor's birth certificate, the marriage certificate or divorce papers, the children's details, the worker's most recent W-2 or self-employment return and bank details for direct deposit.
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Loss of a Spouse
What a surviving spouse needs to do: death certificates, survivor benefits, whether probate is even required, and the tax election that expires.
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Death of a Parent
A step-by-step guide to what happens after a parent dies: the documents to find, the certificates to order, and whether probate is even required.
Learn moreForms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Affidavit of Heirship
Prepare the sworn statement of a deceased person's family history and heirs for recording in the county land records, with your state's recording instructions.
Small Estate Affidavit
Collect a small estate's property without probate — the sworn affidavit presented to banks and other holders, with a presentation letter for each.
Estate Inventory
Prepare the probate inventory of estate property — every asset at its date-of-death value, composed to your state's statute, with the state's filing or delivery instructions.
Tools for Settling an Estate
Free tools for settling an estate: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines, and inheritance taxes.
How Much Can an Executor Charge?
Calculate how much an executor can charge for administering an estate.
Can I Self-File Probate?
Whether your state lets you open probate yourself, and what it costs with a lawyer and without one.
How Do I Get Letters Testamentary?
See the court that issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, the petition, the bond, and the documents to file.
What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?
Find creditor claim deadlines, notice requirements, and payment priority order for your state.
What Happens When an Estate Is Insolvent?
See the order your state pays an insolvent estate's debts and which claims go unpaid.
How Do I Claim a Deceased Person's Unclaimed Property?
See where to search for a deceased person's unclaimed property and what each state asks an heir or executor to send.
