Can my 70 y.o. brother claim Social Security survivor benefits from deceased wife who barely worked?
My brother just turned 70 last month and has been receiving his Social Security retirement benefits since age 65. His situation is a bit complicated now. His wife passed away from covid about 3 years ago, and during their marriage, she was primarily a homemaker. From what I understand, she only worked outside the home for maybe 4-5 years total throughout her life, so she had very minimal Social Security credits. Now I'm wondering if my brother might be eligible for any kind of survivor benefits based on her work record, even though it was limited? Or is that not possible since he's already receiving his own benefits? Any insights would really help us figure out if he's leaving money on the table.
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Nia Wilson
In most cases, your brother would only be eligible for survivor benefits if his wife's benefit amount was higher than his own current benefit. Since she only worked 4-5 years, it's very unlikely her benefit amount would exceed what your brother is already receiving, especially since he's been collecting since age 65 and is now 70. The SSA automatically pays the higher of the two benefit amounts, not both. Given her limited work history, her PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) would likely be quite small. However, it doesn't hurt to have him call SSA to verify there's nothing he's missing.
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Luca Ferrari
•Thanks for explaining. I wasn't sure if there was some special rule for people who were married for a long time (they were together for almost 45 years) even if one spouse didn't work much. I'll suggest he check with SSA directly just to make sure.
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Mateo Martinez
my mom was in almost this exact situation!!!! when my dad died she thought she would get his ss but they told her she got too much on her own record already. its confusing cause they call it "survivor" benefits but really they just give u whichever one pays more, not both. definitely have him call and ask tho
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Aisha Hussain
•Exactly right. The SSA will only pay the higher of the two benefit amounts. It's a common misunderstanding that you can somehow get both or get a supplemental amount. Since the brother is already 70 and has been receiving benefits for 5 years, he's likely already getting more than what his wife's limited work history would provide.
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Ethan Clark
So sorry about your sister-in-law. The covid losses have been terrible. I don't think he'd get anything additional though since she worked so little.
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StarStrider
The SSA rules are so FRUSTRATING!!! My husband died last year and I thought I'd get survivors benefits based on his record plus my own. NOPE! They just give you whichever is higher. I had to call them like 50 times before I finally got through to someone who could explain it properly. Your brother probably won't get anything extra based on what you described.
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Yuki Sato
•I know trying to reach SSA is a nightmare these days. Have you tried using Claimyr? It helped me get through when I was dealing with a similar situation with survivor benefits. Their service calls SSA for you and connects you when an agent is available. I watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU) and decided to try it. Saved me hours of redial frustration. Just sharing because it made a huge difference for me when I was trying to sort out my mom's survivor benefits.
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StarStrider
•Never heard of that but wish I had known about it months ago! Spent so many mornings on hold just to get disconnected. Will keep it in mind if I need to call them again.
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Carmen Ruiz
Has your brother asked about the lump-sum death payment? It's only $255, but it's something that many people overlook. If they were married and living together when she passed, he would qualify for that payment even if he doesn't qualify for monthly survivor benefits due to his own higher benefit amount. He would have needed to apply within 2 years of her passing though, so if it's been 3 years, he may have missed the window.
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Luca Ferrari
Thank you all for the responses. I'll definitely let my brother know he should check about that $255 payment, though it might be too late now. It sounds like he probably won't qualify for monthly survivor benefits since his own benefit is likely higher than what his wife would have received with her limited work history. I appreciate everyone sharing their knowledge and experiences!
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Mateo Martinez
wait i just thought of something else - if ur brother ever gets remarried after 60 it wont affect any of his ss benefits. my uncle got remarried at 72 and was worried but the SSA said it dont matter after age 60!!
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Aisha Hussain
•That's correct. For survivor benefits, remarriage after age 60 doesn't affect eligibility. However, in this specific situation, it doesn't appear that the brother would be eligible for survivor benefits anyway since his own benefit is likely higher than what his wife's benefit would have been with only 4-5 years of work.
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Luca Ferrari
•That's good to know! He's not planning to remarry right now, but it's helpful information for the future. Thanks for sharing that detail.
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Nia Wilson
One more thing to consider - if your brother hasn't already, he should make sure the Social Security Administration knows about his wife's passing. Sometimes there can be issues if they aren't properly notified. Also, if he's struggling financially, he might want to check if he qualifies for any other programs like Medicare Savings Programs or Extra Help with Medicare prescription drug costs. These aren't related to survivor benefits but could help with his overall financial situation.
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Luca Ferrari
•That's a great suggestion about those other programs. He's on a pretty tight budget these days, so I'll definitely mention those options to him. I believe he did notify SSA when she passed, but I'll double-check with him. Thanks for the thoughtful advice!
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