What a Spouse Can Receive After a Worker Dies

When a worker who receives Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) dies, their spouse may be may have access to to survivor benefits based on that worker's earnings record. The amount depends on the worker's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA)—the monthly SSDI payment they were receiving—and your age when you claim.

A surviving spouse can receive up to 75% of the worker's PIA if you claim at full retirement age, or a reduced amount if you claim earlier. The exact percentage varies based on your age at the time you file. Unlike some other Social Security programs, there is no waiting period: you can claim survivor benefits in the month the worker dies.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) does not automatically send you a notice that you may be may have access to to benefits. You must contact SSA directly to report the death and request a survivor benefit information.

Key Takeaways

  • A surviving spouse can receive 75% of the worker's SSDI payment if claiming at full retirement age, or a smaller percentage if claiming before that age.
  • You must contact the SSA yourself to report the death and request survivor benefits—the agency does not contact you automatically.
  • Your age when you claim affects your monthly payment: claiming at 60 or later gives you a higher percentage than claiming at 50 to 59.
  • If you are caring for the worker's child under age 16, you may be able to claim benefits at any age.
  • Survivor benefits are based on the worker's earnings record, not your own, and do not affect your own future retirement benefits.

Age and the Percentage You Receive

Your age when you claim determines what percentage of the worker's PIA you receive. At full retirement age (which varies by birth year, typically 66 to 67), you receive 100% of what the worker was receiving—or 75% of their PIA if they had not yet claimed. Before full retirement age, the percentage is lower.

If you claim at age 60, you receive approximately 71.5% of the worker's PIA. Between ages 60 and your full retirement age, the percentage increases each month you wait. At full retirement age, you receive the maximum: 75% of the worker's PIA (or 100% of their actual SSDI payment if they were already receiving it).

There is no benefit to waiting past your full retirement age to claim survivor benefits. Unlike retirement benefits, survivor benefits do not increase if you delay claiming after reaching full retirement age.

Caring for a Child Under 16

If you are caring for the worker's biological, adopted, or stepchild who is under age 16, you may claim survivor benefits at any age—even in your 50s or younger. This is called a caregiver benefit and does not require you to have reached any particular age.

To claim as a caregiver, the child must be in your care and under 16 (or 19 if still in high school full-time). Once the child turns 16, your benefit ends, though the child's own survivor benefit may continue until age 19 if they remain in high school.

The caregiver benefit is the same percentage as if you were claiming at full retirement age: 75% of the worker's PIA. This is one of the few situations in Social Security where age does not reduce your payment.

How the Worker's Earnings Record Affects Your Payment

Your survivor benefit is calculated from the worker's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is based on their lifetime earnings history. The SSA uses the worker's 35 highest-earning years (adjusted for inflation) to calculate their PIA. If the worker had fewer than 35 years of earnings, zeros are counted for the missing years, which lowers the PIA.

The worker's PIA is what they would have received at their full retirement age if they had claimed SSDI retirement benefits instead of SSDI disability benefits. When the worker dies, their SSDI payment becomes the basis for all family survivor benefits.

You cannot increase your survivor benefit by working or earning income yourself. Your benefit is entirely based on the worker's record. However, if you have your own Social Security record with a higher benefit amount, you may be able to receive your own retirement benefit instead—though this is rare for surviving spouses under full retirement age.

Family Maximum and How It Affects Other Beneficiaries

The SSA imposes a family maximum: the total amount paid to all family members on one worker's record cannot exceed 150% to 180% of the worker's PIA. The exact percentage varies by the worker's birth year and the type of benefits being paid.

If you claim survivor benefits and the worker also has minor children, disabled adult children, or a surviving parent claiming benefits, the family maximum may reduce what each person receives. The SSA divides the maximum equally among all may be able to access family members, so adding more claimants reduces everyone's payment.

For example, if the worker's PIA is $2,000 and the family maximum is 175% ($3,500), and there are three may be able to access beneficiaries, each receives $1,166.67 instead of their full individual amount. The SSA recalculates the family maximum each time someone new claims or stops claiming.

Work and Earnings After You Claim

If you claim survivor benefits before your full retirement age and earn income from work, the SSA may reduce your payment. In 2024, for every $2 you earn above $23,400 in the year you reach full retirement age, your benefit is reduced by $1. In years before you reach full retirement age, the reduction is $1 for every $2 earned above $12,800.

These earnings limits explore only to you, not to other family members claiming on the same record. Once you reach full retirement age, there is no earnings limit, and you can work without any reduction to your benefit.

Earnings from self-employment, wages, and bonuses all count toward the limit. Pensions, investment income, and rental income do not count.

How Survivor Benefits Interact with Your Own Benefits

Claiming survivor benefits does not affect your own future retirement benefit. When you reach your own full retirement age, you can switch to your own retirement benefit if it is higher than your survivor benefit. The SSA will automatically pay you whichever amount is larger.

However, if you claim your own retirement benefit before full retirement age, it may be permanently reduced. For this reason, some people claim survivor benefits first (which may have a smaller reduction) and then switch to their own retirement benefit at full retirement age.

If you were born before January 2, 1954, you may have access to a restricted process strategy that lets you claim survivor benefits first and delay your own retirement benefit to grow larger. If you were born after that date, this option is not available, and your benefits are deemed—meaning claiming one benefit counts as claiming both.

How to Report the Death and Claim Benefits

Contact the SSA as soon as possible after the worker's death. You can reach them by phone at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), in person at your local Social Security office, or online through my Social Security at ssa.gov. Have the worker's Social Security number and death certificate ready.

The SSA will ask you to provide proof of your relationship to the worker (marriage certificate), your age (birth certificate), and citizenship or legal residency status. If you are claiming as a caregiver, bring proof that you are caring for the worker's child under 16.

You do not need to wait for the death certificate to be finalized to contact the SSA, though you will need to provide it before benefits are paid. The SSA can often begin processing your claim while the death certificate is being issued.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I claim survivor benefits if the worker and I were divorced?

Yes, if the marriage lasted at least 10 years and you are at least 60 years old (or any age if caring for a child under 16). You do not need the worker's permission or cooperation, and claiming does not affect their benefits or their current spouse's benefits. Contact the SSA with your divorce decree.

What happens to survivor benefits if I remarry?

If you remarry before age 60, your survivor benefits end. If you remarry at 60 or later, your benefits continue. If you remarry and then divorce or your new spouse dies, you may be able to claim on your previous worker's record again, depending on the timing and your age.

Do I have to report the worker's death to other agencies?

The SSA reports the death to Medicare and Medicaid automatically, so you do not need to contact those agencies separately. However, if the worker was receiving other benefits (veterans benefits, railroad retirement, civil service retirement), you must report the death to those agencies separately.

Can my adult child claim survivor benefits?

Only if the child became disabled before age 22. Adult children who are not disabled do not receive survivor benefits, even if they are still in school or living with you. Disabled adult children can claim at any age if the disability began before 22.

What if the worker had not yet claimed SSDI when they died?

You can still claim survivor benefits based on their earnings record. The SSA calculates what their SSDI payment would have been at their full retirement age and bases your survivor benefit on that amount. You do not need the worker to have claimed first.