Survivor and Ex-Spouse Benefits

The story: Ruth asks what’s owed

Over coffee, Grace tells Ruth that a divorced spouse can collect Social Security on an ex’s record, and Ruth decides to call SSA.

1. Narrator: Ruth was married for 22 years before the divorce. Ruth never knew the ex-husband’s work record could matter.
2. Grace: Ruth, my sister collects a check on an ex’s record. It didn’t cost the ex a cent.
3. Ruth: Really? My ex would never agree to that.
4. Narrator: No one has to agree. If the marriage lasted long enough and Ruth is single now, Ruth can collect. The ex isn’t told, and that check doesn’t change.
5. Narrator: A death works in a similar way. A widow or widower can get up to the late spouse’s full check, and sometimes switch benefits later.
6. Ruth: Then I’ll call SSA and ask what I’m owed, instead of guessing.
7. Narrator: A death or a divorce doesn’t erase the record. Ask SSA what you’re owed.

What you’ll learn

1. Survivor checks

   A widow or widower can get up to the late spouse’s full check, including delay credits. If the late spouse claimed early, the survivor’s check may be capped by the widow(er)’s limit. Young or disabled children may also qualify. This matters most for married, widowed and divorced people.

2. Switching can pay more

   Survivors can often take one benefit now and switch to the other later. A survivor might take a reduced survivor check early, then switch to a larger check of their own later, or the reverse. SSA can show which order pays more.

3. Remarriage and divorce rules

   Remarrying before a set age can end survivor eligibility; remarrying after it doesn’t. An ex-spouse can collect on a former spouse’s record if the marriage lasted long enough and they’re single now. It doesn’t lower anyone else’s check, and the ex isn’t told.

4. Recently widowed, and other help

   After losing a spouse, there’s no rush to decide everything at once. Report the death to SSA (funeral homes often do this) and ask about survivor checks and the small one-time death payment. Have a government pension? Survivor checks are no longer cut for it.

Key words

survivor benefit

a check from a late spouse’s record

divorced-spouse benefit

a check from an ex-spouse’s record

widow(er)’s limit

the cap when the late spouse claimed early

lump-sum death payment

a small one-time payment from SSA

Common questions

I just lost my spouse. What do I do first?

Take your time. Report the death to SSA if the funeral home hasn’t, then ask about survivor checks. Later lessons on the first 90 days and the first year walk through the rest, one step at a time.

I live with a partner but we never married. Does this apply?

No. Social Security treats unmarried partners as single, so survivor checks on a partner’s record don’t apply.

Remember this

A death or a divorce doesn’t erase the record. Ask SSA what you’re owed.

Try it: Write down the records that count

1. Write down your spouse’s, and any ex-spouse’s, full name and birth date, plus their Social Security number if you have it.
2. Note the date of each marriage and divorce.
3. Keep this with your one-page money map, in a safe, private place.

The whole mission works with no account or app.

Live facts

Numbers that change over time, with when they were last checked and where they come from.

• Survivor benefits: claiming ages, limits and remarriage rules

  Source: SSA.gov(opens in a new tab)

• Benefits for spouses and divorced spouses

  Source: SSA.gov(opens in a new tab)

• Social Security Fairness Act: who it helps and how to apply

  Source: SSA.gov(opens in a new tab)