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If you’re already getting Social Security benets
If you’re getting benets as a spouse based on your
spouse’s work, we’ll change your payments to survivors
benets when you report the death to us. If we need more
information, we’ll contact you.
If you’re getting benets based on your own work, call
or visit us. We’ll check to see if you can get more money
as a surviving spouse. If so, you’ll get a combination
of benets that equals the higher amount. You must
complete an application to switch to survivors benets.
We also need to see your spouse’s death certicate.
How much will I receive?
We base the benet amount on the earnings of the person
who died. The more the worker paid into Social Security,
the greater your benets will be.
We use the deceased worker’s basic benet amount
to calculate the percentage survivors can get. The
percentage depends on the survivor’s age and relationship
to the worker. If the worker who died was getting reduced
benets, we’ll base your survivor’s benet on that amount.
In most typical claims for benets a:
• Surviving spouse, at full retirement age or older, generally
gets 100% of the worker’s basic benet amount.
• Surviving spouse, age 60 or older, but under full
retirement age, gets between 71% and 99% of the
worker’s basic benet amount.
• Surviving spouse, any age, with a child younger than
age 16, gets 75% of the worker’s benet amount.
• Child gets 75% of the worker’s benet amount.
Maximum family benets
There’s a limit to the benets we can pay to you and other
family members each month. The limit varies between
150% and 180% of the deceased worker’s benet amount.