My spouse died — what am I entitled to?

Q: What are you entitled to?

As a surviving spouse you may receive up to 100% of your late spouse's benefit — significantly more than the 50% a spousal benefit provides while both are living.5 The base is what your spouse was receiving, or was entitled to, at death: if they claimed early it is their reduced amount, and if they delayed it includes their delayed credits.

Q: What is the switching strategy most people never hear about?

Survivors have a right almost no other claimant has: you can claim one benefit now and switch to the other later.

Q: When can you claim? Age 60 — the earliest for most survivors (reduced). Age 50 — if you are disabled. Any age — if you are caring for the deceased's child who is under 16 or disabled. Your survivor full retirement age — for 100% of your late spouse's benefit amount, with no reduction for your age. That is 100% of what they were receiving, not of their full retirement age amount if they had claimed early.5 A detail that catches people: your survivor full retirement age can be different from your retirement full retirement age. Confirm both before you decide — using the wrong one can cost you a permanent reduction. What are the remarriage rules? Remarry before 60 (50 if disabled) → you generally lose survivor benefits from your late spouse while that marriage lasts. Remarry at 60 or later → you keep them. The new marriage changes nothing.2 If you were divorced from the person who died, you may still qualify as a surviving divorced spouse if the marriage lasted at least 10 years. What is the $255 death payment?

SSA pays a one-time lump-sum death payment of $255 to a surviving spouse who was living with the deceased, or in some cases to an eligible child. It is small, it is not automatic, and it has a filing deadline — generally two years from the date of death.3 Ask for it when you call.

An empty kitchen chair, a teacup and a folded letter — Illustration: Next Chapter Today

First, I am sorry. When you are ready, here is what you are owed and the order to handle it in.

By Kwame Kuadey

August 16, 2026

Adjunct Professor of Finance, Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School · Author, The Social Security Playbook

Key takeaways

A surviving spouse may receive up to 100 percent of the late spouse's benefit, but you get the larger of the two checks, not both.
Survivors can claim one benefit now and switch later, so claim the smaller one first and let the larger keep growing.
Call SSA at 1-800-772-1213, ask for both your survivor number and your own at 70, and ask about the $255 lump-sum payment.

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What are you entitled to?

As a surviving spouse you may receive up to 100% of your late spouse's benefit — significantly more than the 50% a spousal benefit provides while both are living.⁵ The base is what your spouse was receiving, or was entitled to, at death: if they claimed early it is their reduced amount, and if they delayed it includes their delayed credits.

You do not receive both your benefit and theirs. You receive the larger of the two. If your own benefit is smaller, it stops and the survivor benefit replaces it.

Take your time on the decision, not the notification. SSA needs to be notified promptly — usually the funeral home reports the death — but the choice of which benefit to claim and when deserves careful thought. Rushing it is how money gets left behind.

What is the switching strategy most people never hear about?

Survivors have a right almost no other claimant has: you can claim one benefit now and switch to the other later.

Here is why that matters. Your own retirement benefit keeps growing about 8% a year from your full retirement age until 70. A survivor benefit does not grow past your survivor full retirement age.¹

So the sequence usually works like this: claim the smaller benefit first and let the larger one keep growing.

An illustration. Suppose a widower in his early 60s claims his survivor benefit right away to cover living expenses, and lets his own benefit grow untouched. When he switches to his own at 70, his monthly check can be several hundred dollars higher — for life. Your own numbers come from SSA, not from this example.

The reverse also works: if your own benefit is small and the survivor benefit is large, take yours early and switch to the survivor benefit at your survivor full retirement age.

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When can you claim?

Age 60 — the earliest for most survivors (reduced).
Age 50 — if you are disabled.
Any age — if you are caring for the deceased's child who is under 16 or disabled.
Your survivor full retirement age — for 100% of your late spouse's benefit amount, with no reduction for your age. That is 100% of what they were receiving, not of their full retirement age amount if they had claimed early.⁵

A detail that catches people: your survivor full retirement age can be different from your retirement full retirement age. Confirm both before you decide — using the wrong one can cost you a permanent reduction.

What are the remarriage rules?

Remarry before 60 (50 if disabled) → you generally lose survivor benefits from your late spouse while that marriage lasts.
Remarry at 60 or later → you keep them. The new marriage changes nothing.²

If you were divorced from the person who died, you may still qualify as a surviving divorced spouse if the marriage lasted at least 10 years.

What is the $255 death payment?

SSA pays a one-time lump-sum death payment of $255 to a surviving spouse who was living with the deceased, or in some cases to an eligible child. It is small, it is not automatic, and it has a filing deadline — generally two years from the date of death.³ Ask for it when you call.

What should you do next?

Confirm SSA has been notified — usually the funeral home does this. Verify it.
Call SSA at 1-800-772-1213. Survivor claims generally cannot be filed online.²
Gather: death certificate, marriage certificate, both Social Security numbers, your birth certificate, and recent tax or W-2 records.
Ask for both numbers: your survivor benefit and your own benefit at 70.
Ask about the best effective month — benefits can sometimes be backdated up to six months.
Ask about the $255 lump-sum payment.

Sources

Social Security Administration — ssa.gov — Survivors Benefits
Social Security Administration — ssa.gov — If You Are the Survivor
SSA — Lump-Sum Death Payment
SSA Form SSA-10 — Application for Widow(er)s Insurance Benefits
Social Security Administration — Survivor benefits: how much you could receive ↗

Reviewed against primary sources November 7, 2026. Corrections: hello@benefitsinsider.co.

Fact-checked against primary sources. Every figure in this piece was checked against the agency or study that publishes it, and independently verified on November 7, 2026. Last reviewed November 7, 2026. Spotted something? hello@benefitsinsider.co

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From Next Chapter Today

The Social Security PlaybookWhen to claim, how to protect a spouse, and the 75 questions people actually ask. By Kwame Kuadey.About the book →

Next Chapter Today is not a government website and is not affiliated with the Social Security Administration or any agency. This article is educational and is not individualized legal, medical, tax or financial advice. Confirm your own figures with the agency before you act.

Key takeaways

A surviving spouse may receive up to 100 percent of the late spouse's benefit, but you get the larger of the two checks, not both.
Survivors can claim one benefit now and switch later, so claim the smaller one first and let the larger keep growing.
Call SSA at 1-800-772-1213, ask for both your survivor number and your own at 70, and ask about the $255 lump-sum payment.

The book