How do survivor benefits work?

By

Andy Markowitz

More than 5.7 million people received Social Security survivor benefits in February 2025.

These monthly payments typically go to the spouse, former spouse or children of someone who was receiving or eligible for Social Security benefits. In some circumstances, parents,

grandchildren or stepchildren of a late worker may also qualify for survivor benefits.

In most cases, survivor benefits are based on the amount the deceased was receiving from Social Security at the time of death or was entitled to receive if he or she died before filing for

benefits. To start your application, call Social Security at 800-772-1213 to schedule an appointment, which can be by phone or in person at a local Social Security office. 

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No online filing process is available for survivor benefits.

About 64 percent of recipients are widows and widowers, including divorced former spouses of deceased workers. Generally, they can collect survivor benefits from age 60 — 50 if they have a

disability — at rates ranging from 71.5 percent to 100 percent of the late spouse’s Social Security benefit, depending on the survivor’s age.

If you are caring for a child of the deceased who is younger than 16 or has a disability, a surviving spouse does not have to be a minimum age, and the survivor benefit is 75 percent of the

deceased’s Social Security payment.