How much can you get as a survivor benefit from Social Security? This tool helps spouses or ex-spouses estimate. Calculate the total monthly income available given your age, the deceased person’s benefits and claiming age, and other factors.
See important information and warnings below. The calculator is primarily for retirement planning purposes, so it focuses on your retirement benefits. It is geared toward surviving spouses (or divorced survivors), and it does not calculate survivor benefits for children or parents.
Important: This is an estimate only. Your actual benefit may differ based on various factors including family maximums and other Social Security rules. Contact the Social Security Administration for exact benefit calculations. Only the Social Security Administration can tell you exactly how much you’re eligible for as a survivor. Do not rely solely on the output of this calculator.
If the deceased claimed before their FRA, this calculator attempts to use the RIB LIM or “widow’s limit.”
Want help with all of this? See the Pricing page to view your options.
How Social Security Survivor Benefits Work
Social Security pays survivor benefits to eligible survivors when somebody dies, including the following:
- The spouse of the deceased
- Ex-spouse(s) of the deceased
- Eligible children of the deceased
- Dependent parents of the deceased
The calculator above focuses on retirement income for current and former spouses. In general, the Social Security survivor benefit is the biggest payment that the household was receiving (or eligible to receive) at the time of death.
Example: Deceased Dawn was getting a retirement income benefit of $3,000 per month. Her spouse, Survivor Sam, was getting $2,000 per month. Both are over the age of 70.
After Dawn’s death, Sam would get $3,000/month as a survivor benefit because Dawn’s benefit was larger than Sam’s. But Sam does not get both benefits: He won’t get $3,000 plus $2,000 for a total of $5,000. Unfortunately, the household’s income will drop, as one of the payments effectively goes away.
If Sam died first instead of Dawn, Dawn would not get a survivor benefit. Instead, she would continue with her own benefit of $3,000 per month. It would not make sense to switch to a smaller benefit.
Survivor Benefit Strategies
Continue reading below, or get similar information from this video.
Survivors have unique strategies available under Social Security’s rules. In particular, a survivor can switch from their own benefit to a spousal benefit, or vice versa. Ultimately, the survivor can choose whichever benefit is best.
Switching Benefits
Example #2: Assume Sam and Dawn are both turning age 67 on the same day, but neither of them claimed benefits yet. Sam’s benefit at FRA is $2,900, and Dawn’s benefit is $3,000. Dawn dies the day after they turn 67.
In this case, Sam might want to take a survivor benefit off Dawn’s record immediately, which brings in $3,000/month of Social Security income. Meanwhile, Sam’s own benefit continues to grow by 8% per year (technically, it’s a monthly increase) until Sam reaches age 70. Then, Sam could switch to his own benefit, which would be larger than the survivor benefit.
Tip: If you take survivor benefits first, it’s wise to get a copy of your own benefit statement for future reference. You may not be able to see the benefits available under your work record once you start the survivor benefit.
Maximizing By Delaying
If a substantial survivor benefit is important, the highest earner in the household may want to delay taking Social Security until age 70. That strategy provides the largest monthly income, as benefits increase each year when you delay claiming. Then, no matter who dies first, that inflated benefit will continue for the survivor.
There may be other benefits of delaying, as well. For instance, you might want to pursue tax strategies like Roth conversions as part of a Social Security Bridge.
Keep in mind that it doesn’t always make sense to delay taking benefits. One interesting exception, known as RIB-LIM or the “widow’s limit” can cause you to leave money on the table if you delay claiming. This might happen when somebody claims benefit early, at 62, for example. The survivor benefit in that case might stop growing as the survivor nears age 63. Delaying beyond then would not provide a bigger survivor benefit, so it’s important to review the rules and all of your options carefully.
Eligibility for Survivor Benefits
It’s critical to ensure that you’re eligible for a survivor benefit. The rules can be complicated, and it’s best to review the criteria at SSA.gov. As just one example, when you’re caring for a child of the deceased, you might have additional opportunities for eligibility.
Currently Married
If you are married at the time of death, the surviving spouse can typically get a survivor benefit if:
- The marriage lasted at least 9 months, or exceptions apply (accidental death, for instance).
- The survivor is age 60 or older (age 50 if disabled).
- The survivor did not re-marry before age 60 (age 50 if disabled).
Ex-Spouses
A divorced spouse may be able to get a survivor benefit if the marriage lasted at least 10 years. The same age and re-marriage criteria apply.
Reductions to Survivor Benefits
You can get up to 100% of the deceased person’s benefit, but several situations can result in reductions. Examples include:
- Claiming before your full retirement age (FRA) for survivor benefits, which may be different from your FRA for your own retirement benefit.
- Too much earned income before your FRA can cause your Social Security benefits to be reduced. This applies to your own FRA, not the survivor benefit FRA, even if you’re getting survivor benefits.
- Other factors may apply.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What’s the Difference Between Spousal and Survivor Benefits?
There are several key differences, and some of the most important factors are below.
When: Survivor benefits are for when somebody dies. Spousal benefits are for when everybody is still living.
How many: When taking survivor benefits, one person’s income typically goes away at death. If a household was getting two payments, only one will continue. With spousal benefits, there are typically two payments coming into a household. Things differ slightly when divorced ex-spouses are applying.
How much? A survivor benefit can be as much as 100% of the deceased worker’s benefit. A spousal benefit can be up to 50% of a deceased worker’s benefit.
Other differences exist, including eligibility, and more.How Long Do Survivor Benefits Last?
Survivor benefits last as long as the survivor is:
1. Alive
2. Still eligible to receive the benefit (hasn’t remarried before age 60, for instance)
3. Still choosing to take the benefit (hasn’t switched to their own benefit or another benefit)
Other situations could affect continuity.Do Social Security Survivor Benefits Count as Income?
Yes, survivor benefits are often counted as income, but it depends on the situation. If you have other sources of income, a portion of your survivor benefit may be included in your taxable income. At most, 85% of the benefit might be taxable. Calculate how much of your benefit is taxable here.
Do Survivor Benefits Increase?
Yes, survivor benefits generally increase over time with cost of living adjustments (COLAs). The COLA is intended to help your purchasing power keep up with inflation. The age at which you claim benefits can also affect how much you’ll get.
Want to run some more numbers? Try the Social Security Breakeven Calculator. That tool might help you figure out which claiming age gives the most lifetime benefit. However, other factors, like planning for a survivor benefit, might be more important than trying to optimize the breakeven point.