Widows and widowers are entitled to Social Security benefits based on their deceased spouses’ earning record as long as they meet certain criteria. Among these requirements involve their decision to remarry.
In this client education guide, InvestmentNews explains the impact of remarriage on survivor benefits. We will discuss the eligibility criteria and how these have evolved throughout the years. We will also answer the most common questions surviving spouses have when it comes to remarriages and Social Security payments.
If you’re collecting survivor benefits and wondering how remarriage would affect your monthly payouts, this article can help. Read on and find out what you need to know about Social Security benefits for remarried widows and widowers.
Before we delve into the nitty-gritty of a remarried widow’s Social Security benefits, let’s first discuss what survivor benefits are and how they work.
Survivor benefits are monthly payouts collected by eligible family members of deceased workers who made enough Social Security contributions during their lifetime. These benefits are designed to soften the financial impact of losing a primary wage earner by providing income to their families after they die.
The benefit amount is calculated based on the deceased spouse’s work history, which includes the number of working years and earned wages or income. For family members to become eligible for Social Security survivor benefits, the wage earner must have earned a minimum number of credits while they were working.
Family members of workers who held 10 consecutive years of employment qualify for the full survivor benefits. The amount you can actually claim, however, depends on what age you file for benefits. Surviving spouses and ex-spouses can start collecting benefits at age 60, unless they have a disability, which lowers the age requirement to 50. But just like any other Social Security benefits, claiming early reduces the benefit amount. To receive the full survivor benefits, you must wait until full retirement age (FRA) before filing.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) imposes a slightly different set of requirements for surviving spouses or ex-spouses caring for a disabled child and dependent parents. This guide explains everything you need to know about Social Security survivor benefits.
If you’re a widow(er) collecting Social Security based on your deceased spouse’s work record, whether you lose or retain your retirement income depends on the age you remarry. Here’s what the SSA’s rules say about remarried widows’ Social Security benefits.
As a surviving spouse or ex-spouse, you lose your eligibility for survivor or disability benefits. Your monthly payouts, however, may be reinstated if your subsequent marriage ends in an annulment or a divorce.
You may be able to collect survivor benefits as a disabled surviving spouse or divorced spouse if you already had a disability and could no longer work when you remarried. The remarriage must have occurred after you turned 50.
If you’re not disabled and you remarry before age 60, you lose your eligibility for survivor benefits, but you may be able to claim again when that marriage ends. Your payouts may start in the first month when the remarriage ends, and all entitlement requirements are met.
You maintain your eligibility for survivor benefits on your deceased spouse’s earning record. However, you also become eligible for spousal benefits at age 62 on your new spouse’s record. SSA rules allow you to claim the higher benefit, but not both.
Originally, widows and widowers lost their eligibility for survivor benefits if they remarried, regardless of their age. This changed in July 1965 when a law was passed allowing widows to remarry after turning 60. This initial rule change, however, only permitted remarried widows and widowers to claim an amount equal to half of their deceased spouse’s full retirement benefits.
A bigger change in December 1977 allowed surviving spouses to remarry after age 60 and still collect the full survivor benefits. The amount is equivalent to 100% of their deceased spouse’s full retirement benefit, which is also referred to as the primary insurance amount (PIA). This rule change didn’t apply to surviving divorced spouses.
The final rule change was passed in January 1984. This allowed remarried surviving divorced spouses to claim the full survivor benefits as long as:
Remarriage, however, nullifies a divorced spouse’s right to claim spousal benefits on a living ex-spouse. This is unless the later marriage ends in death, annulment, or divorce.
If you want to learn more about maximizing your Social Security spousal benefits, this guide provides practical tips and strategies.
As a surviving spouse, you can apply for survivor benefits at your local Social Security office or by contacting the SSA at 1-800-772-1213. If you’re deaf, have a hearing impairment, or use TTY equipment, you can call the SSA’s TTY number at 1-800-325-0778.
You may be asked to provide the following documents to facilitate the application process:
If you don’t have all the required information or documentation, an experienced retirement planning advisor or the SSA can assist you in completing all the requirements.
You can find more information on how Social Security benefits work in this guide.
The amount of survivor benefits you can claim depends on your deceased spouse’s average earnings throughout their lifetime. The more the working spouse earned and contributed, the higher the monthly benefit amount you can receive.
The actual amount you can collect, however, depends on when you file for survivor benefits. The earliest you can claim as a surviving spouse or ex-spouse without a disability is 60 years old. But claiming at this point entitles you to only 71.5% of your deceased spouse or ex-spouse’s retirement benefits. The longer you wait, the higher survivor benefits you can claim. For example:
You can claim 100% of your survivor benefits if you wait until full retirement age – between 66 and 67 years old, depending on the year you were born. Unlike Social Security benefits, you don’t earn delayed retirement credits for survivor benefits. That’s why there’s no incentive to delay claiming your benefits past FRA.
Get practical ideas on how to boost your retirement income with your spouse in this guide to the best Social Security strategies for married couples.
A widow(er) must have been married for at least nine months to qualify for survivor benefits. The same timeframe applies for subsequent marriages. This rule may be waived if the surviving spouse and the deceased spouse have a minor child together. There is also no marriage length requirement if the death was accidental or happened during a military duty.
For surviving divorced spouses, they must be married for at least 10 years to claim survivor benefits from their ex-spouses’ earnings record. This guide on the rules on Social Security for divorce can provide more details on which benefits ex-spouses are eligible for.
A surviving spouse is eligible to receive survivor benefits for the rest of their lifetime. The earliest they can claim is at age 60. They may lose their eligibility, however, if they decide to remarry before this age.
For disabled widow or widowers, they may be able to maintain their survivor or disability benefits if they choose to remarry after turning 50 years old. This is also the earliest they can collect survivor benefits.
What is the blackout period in Social Security survivor benefits?
The blackout period refers to the time when a surviving spouse isn’t eligible to receive Social Security survivor benefits. This period typically starts when the widow(er) and the deceased spouse’s youngest child turns 16 and ends when the surviving spouse reaches age 60.
Let’s look at the case of Ramona as an example. Ramona was left widowed at the age of 30 with a five-year-old daughter. She is eligible to claim survivor benefits for 11 years or until her child’s 16th birthday. After this, however, her daughter can still claim survivor benefits until she’s 18 or 19 as long as she stays in school. At this point, Ramona will be 43 or 44, leaving her family ineligible for any payouts until she can collect survivor benefits again when she reaches age 60. The blackout period in Ramona’s case can last 16 or 17 years.
If you’re a widow(er) and entitled to other Social Security benefits, you can only claim the one with the highest monthly payouts. SSA rules don’t allow the payments to be added together. You can, however, switch benefits later. For instance, you can start claiming survivor benefits and then switch to collecting retirement benefits at age 70, when the payouts reach the maximum amount.
If you recently filed for retirement benefits and became eligible for survivor payments, you may be able to withdraw your application. You can then claim survivor benefits and restart your retirement payments later when the benefits are higher.
Withdrawing your retirement benefits is one of your Social Security do-over options. Find out more about how these Social Security strategies work in this guide.
Social Security survivor benefits are designed to provide families with a source of income when a primary wage earner dies, so the payments are made monthly. However, a surviving spouse or child can collect a one-time death benefit of $255 if they meet certain requirements. They must also apply for this benefit within two years of the wage earner’s death.
Given the complexities of remarried widows’ Social Security benefits, it’s best to work with an experienced financial advisor who specializes in retirement planning. If you want to find one, our Best in Wealth Special Reports page is the place to go. Recently, we unveiled the five-star winners of our Top Financial Advisors in the USA awards. Find out how these industry experts can take care of your financial future in this special report.
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