Many people, including current and former spouses and dependent children, may be eligible for Social Security benefits.
Quick takeaways
It’s likely at some point in your life—especially when you’re retired—you’ll receive Social Security benefits. In fact, older adults make up about four out of five current Social Security beneficiaries,
But who receives Social Security benefits in retirement and how much they receive can be confusing, especially when you factor in benefits for spouses, former spouses, survivors, survivors with disabilities, and divorced surviving spouses, among others. Here are some simple explanations.
Social Security for people in retirement
Throughout your working life, you earn Social Security credits, which are credits you accrue to qualify for Social Security benefits upon retirement. You must earn a minimum of 40 credits to obtain Social Security benefits, which works out to approximately 10 years of work. The years you work don’t have to be consecutive—it’s the total that matters, not when it happened—and the credits never expire. Credits also have a dollar value equivalent to earnings, and the SSA goes into more detail on how they’re earned
The earliest you can start claiming Social Security retirement benefits is age 62, provided you have met the 40-credit requirement by then. But there is a catch: The earlier you claim your benefits, the lower your monthly benefit will be as you age. On the flip side, if you wait until what’s called full retirement age (FRA), you’ll receive the full benefit amount; for those born in 1960 or later, your FRA is 67. For more information on FRA by birth year, see the breakdown on the official SSA website
If your situation allows for it, Principal® generally suggests waiting until your FRA to begin taking Social Security benefits so that you can receive the maximum amount—keep in mind that there is no increase in benefits past age 70. There may be times when early claiming makes sense. Talk with a financial professional for guidance on your individual circumstances. Additionally, you can remain employed after FRA and still claim Social Security benefits.
Social Security spousal benefits
For married couples, as soon as one spouse (i.e., Spouse A) claims benefits, their spouse (i.e., Spouse B) is then able to claim spousal benefits. The amount of these benefits can go up to 50% of Spouse A’s amount, as long as Spouse B is not currently receiving benefits of their own. For Spouse B, they can only claim spousal benefits if they are:
- age 62 or
- caring for a child younger than 16, or
- caring for a mentally or physically disabled child of any age
The Social Security Administration provides
Social Security divorced spousal benefits
If you're divorced, you may be able to receive Social Security benefits based on your former spouse's work record. To qualify, you generally must be age 62 or older, currently unmarried, and have been married to your former spouse for at least 10 years. You could receive up to 50% of your former spouse's benefit amount.
A common misconception is that a divorced spouse's benefit is paid out of the former spouse's benefit. That's not how Social Security works. Your benefit is separate and does not affect the amount your former spouse or their family receives.
Social Security survivor benefits
If a person dies while they are receiving Social Security retirement benefits, qualified individuals may be eligible to receive all or a portion of the deceased’s Social Security benefits. These are called survivor benefits.
Certain individuals qualify for Social Security survivor benefits, including:
- spouses who are: age 60 and older, age 50 and older and disabled, or of any age and caring for children under age 16 or any children who are disabled
- children who are: younger than 18 and unmarried, age 19 and a full-time student, or older than 18 with a mental or physical disability
- a divorced spouse, with eligibility requirements
- stepchildren, grandchildren, step-grandchildren, or adopted children, but circumstances apply
- dependent parents, with restrictions
This list provides only a few examples of the circumstances that govern survivor benefits. Consider talking with a tax advisor or financial professional for more information on how survivor benefits may impact your financial situation.
Social Security survivorship benefits for people with disabilities
Social Security makes survivorship benefits available for a variety of disabled survivors. They include:
- a widowed, disabled person between the ages of 50 and 60, provided other conditions such as length of marriage are met
- a widowed person of any age caring for a disabled child
- a child 18 or older with a disability (mental or physical) that began before age 22 and lasted more than a year
Tip:
How much are survivor benefits?
The benefits amount a survivor is eligible for may not be one-to-one, meaning that 100% of the deceased recipient’s benefits may not be due to the survivor. Two caveats apply here:
- Current Social Security benefits versus survivor benefits: Survivor benefits are not paid in addition to existing benefits—you’ll receive either one or the other. For example, if a surviving widowed spouse already receives their own Social Security retirement benefits—and that total exceeds the deceased spouse’s survivor benefits—they will receive nothing extra. Conversely, if the deceased spouse’s survivor benefits are greater than the surviving widowed spouse’s current Social Security benefits, then the latter would be entitled to the benefits with the larger amount.
- Eligibility requirements: The SSA applies different percentages to survivor benefits based on certain conditions. For example, spouses at FRA may receive 100% of survivor benefits, but less if they are younger. Children under age 18, in contrast, may receive just 75%.
For more information on how the SSA calculates these breakdowns, click here.
Applying for survivor benefits
You cannot apply for Social Security survivor benefits online. Instead, you must either visit a local Social Security office or call
Tip: The SSA offers an
Social Security online account setup
The easiest way to stay informed on survivor benefits and track your credits, lifetime contributions, and work history is to
- Visit the Social Security website.
- Select “Create an account.”
- Provide the personal information requested.
- Wait for the activation code, which is often sent via the United States Postal Service.
- Then complete your account setup.
An online account allows you to request a new card, view statements, and change benefit deposit information. You can also fix any informational errors and view estimates of your future retirement, disability, and survivor benefits.
What’s next?
Social Security may only provide a portion of your needed retirement income (the typical amount is 40% or so), which makes saving for retirement as early as possible crucial to financial success in your golden years. Not sure if you’re saving enough to close the gap?
