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Overview
The death of a family member
can be devastating, both emotionally as well as
financially. Even though the grief and the pain
are numbing, the real question remains one of
survival, especially if the deceased was the only
wage earner. The Social Security Survivor Benefits
program helps the families of workers who die by
providing some financial support. The amount of
Social Security survivor benefits however, depends
on the amount of recorded earnings of the deceased
member.
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Are survivor benefits different from life insurance plans?
Yes. Social
Security
is more than just a retirement program. Some of the Social Security taxes you pay in the US, are used for providing survivor insurance for workers and their families. If you compare the two, the value of the survivor benefits under Social Security, is probably more than the value of your individual life insurance. Under the Survivor Benefits program, widows, widowers, divorced widows and widowers, children and dependent parents may be eligible for survivor benefits.
How do I earn survivor benefits?
You earn credits for your Social Security benefits while you work and pay your Social Security taxes. In order for your survivors to be eligible for social security benefits you need to earn enough credits and pay Social Security taxes on time.
The number of years a member has to work for his family to qualify for survivor benefits depends on the age at which the member dies. So a younger person needs to put in less number of years in work. However, no one needs to work for more than ten years to qualify for any social security benefit.
According
to a special provision, if you have worked and earned
for only one and one-half years in the last three years
prior to your death then your spouse and children can
receive survivor benefits.
Your
children
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if your children are unmarried and
are less than 18 years of age (or up to the age of 19
if they attend full-time elementary or secondary
school)
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if they were disabled before they
reached the age of 22 and are still physically
challenged
Your dependent parents if they are at least 62 years
of age. However, for your parents to be eligible for
survivor benefits you would have to provide at least one
half of their support.
Your stepchildren,
adopted children or grandchildren too may be eligible
for benefits under certain conditions.
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How do I apply for
survivor benefits?
If you are
not receiving any social security benefit at
present:
If you are not receiving
any social security benefits at present then you
need to apply for survivor's benefits immediately
since in some cases these benefits are paid from
the time of application for benefits instead of
from the time of the member's death.
You can apply either over
telephone or by going personally to any Social
Security office. We will need certain information,
but do not delay applying if you do not have
everything. We will help you get what you need.
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To apply you need
to submit the following documents (they must be the
original documents or their photocopies certified by the
agency that issued them):
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Proof of death. You may submit the
death certificate or the certificate from the funeral
home.
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The deceased member's Social
Security number, as well as your own.
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Your birth certificate;
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Your marriage certificate if you
are the spouse of the deceased
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Your divorce papers, if you are the
divorced spouse;
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The Social Security numbers of your
dependent children and their birth certificates;
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The deceased member's W-2 forms or
federal self-employment tax return for the most recent
year; and
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The name of your bank and your
account number where your benefits can be directly
deposited.
If you are already receiving social
security benefits:
Any social security benefits that
you may already be receiving from your spouse's
account will change to survivor's benefits upon
his/her death. If you are receiving social security
benefits from your own earnings and have lost your
spouse, then you may contact Social Security for
higher benefits as a widow or widower. However, if you
wish to switch over to a survivor's benefits then you
will have to file an application and provide your
spouse's death certificate to support your
claim.
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Full survivor benefit for widow or
widower at full retirement age or older
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Widow/widower between 60 to 64
years of age will receive 71 to 94 percent
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A widow or widower with a minor
child (less than 16 years of age) will receive 75
percent of the member's benefit amount
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Children will receive 75 percent of
the basic social security benefit amount
What if I work while receiving Social
Security survivor benefits?
If you are
employed and are less than full retirement age and are
also receiving Social Security survivor benefits then
depending on how much you earn, your survivor benefits
may be reduced.
However once you reach full
retirement age there will be no limit on your earnings.
Please remember, that your earnings will only
reduce your own survivor benefits but will not affect
the benefits of other members of the family.
What if I remarry?
If
you remarry before 60, you usually forfeit your claim to
your deceased spouse's survivor benefits. However, if
you marry after reaching 60 (or 50 in case you are
physically challenged) you may still receive benefit
payments from your deceased spouse's work.
You
may receive benefits from your current spouse's work if
those benefits are higher, provided you are at least 62
years of age.
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