Can my kids get Social Security survivor benefits if my wife never qualified for SS on her own?

You need to understand that survivor benefits come from the deceased person's earning record. Since your wife hasn't earned enough credits (40 quarters/10 years of work) to qualify for retirement benefits, there would be no survivor benefits available from her record - neither for the children nor for you as a surviving spouse with children in care. Survivor benefits can only be paid based on a work record that would qualify for benefits.

I think you're getting confused between different benefit types! Your wife doesn't need credits for your kids to get benefits if YOU die. They'd get survivor benefits on YOUR record as long as you're fully insured. But if SHE dies, and she has no work credits, then no - there's no benefits available from her record because she never paid into the system.

The previous responses are correct. If your wife passes away without having earned 40 credits, there would be no survivor benefits available to your children from her record, nor would you be eligible for child-in-care benefits as the surviving parent. However, it's worth noting that if YOU were to pass away, your children would be eligible for survivor benefits on YOUR record until they turn 18 (or 19 if still in high school), and your wife would be eligible for child-in-care benefits until your youngest child turns 16. Each child could receive up to 75% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), subject to the family maximum limit, which is typically 150-180% of your PIA.

I'm in a similar situation and called the SSA about this last month. After waiting on hold for THREE HOURS, they confirmed what others are saying - if your wife hasn't earned enough credits, there's no survivor benefits from her record. It's really frustrating!

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet: While your wife may not have enough credits for survivor benefits, it's worth checking if she has ANY credits at all. If she worked part-time before becoming a stay-at-home parent, she might have earned some credits. If she has at least 6 credits (1.5 years of work), and she becomes disabled before she dies, your children could potentially qualify for disabled worker's child benefits on her record. The requirements for disability benefits are different than retirement - you don't always need 40 credits. Also, if your income is on the higher side, it might be worth looking into term life insurance as an alternative way to provide for your children if either parent passes away.

Off topic but I want to say I RESPECT you for thinking ahead about this! My brother died last year and his wife had NO IDEA about any of the SS rules and it was a NIGHTMARE figuring it all out while grieving. Being prepared is smart!!!

u shud make sure ur wife knows all about YOUR work record since if something happens to YOU she'll need to apply for benefits for the kids on ur record. My husband died 2 yrs ago and I had NO IDEA what I was doing with all the SS paperwork!!!!

One final point that might be helpful for your planning: Since your wife doesn't have her own work record, you might want to maximize your own Social Security earnings base. This would mean trying to have your highest 35 years of earnings be as high as possible, since that's what your potential survivor benefits would be based on. Additionally, if you're looking at overall family financial security, consider whether your wife might return to work part-time when the children are older. Even earning just 40 credits (which can be done with 10 years of even part-time work) would provide her with her own retirement benefit and create potential survivor benefits.

This is such an important discussion that highlights a real gap in our social safety net. As someone who works in financial planning, I see this situation frequently. One thing I'd add is that you might want to look into whether your state has any additional survivor benefit programs or whether your employer offers any survivor benefits through group life insurance that could help fill this gap. Also, since your wife has 12 credits from her previous work, she's actually closer to qualifying than many people realize. If she does decide to return to work part-time, she'd only need 28 more credits (about 7 years of earning at least the minimum required - which in 2024 is just $1,730 per quarter). Even working 15-20 hours a week at minimum wage could get her there over time. The key is understanding that Social Security was designed as a foundation, not a complete safety net. Private life insurance and other planning tools become even more critical for families with stay-at-home parents.