Will surviving spouse get more Social Security when both get same SS amount?
My husband and I both worked full careers and we're both now collecting Social Security benefits. We each get about $2,400/month. I've been wondering - if one of us passes away, would the surviving spouse get any increase in benefits? I've heard something about survivor benefits but don't understand if that applies when we're already both getting our own SS. Does the survivor just keep their own benefit amount, or is there some kind of boost? We're trying to plan for the future and this makes a big difference for our long-term finances. Thanks for any help understanding this!
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Dananyl Lear
Yes, this is an important planning question. When one spouse passes away, the surviving spouse can receive the higher of either their own benefit or their deceased spouse's benefit - but not both. In your case, since both benefits are the same amount ($2,400), the surviving spouse would continue receiving their own $2,400/month. There wouldn't be an increase because you're already receiving identical amounts. If your benefits had been different (say one getting $2,400 and one getting $1,800), then the surviving spouse would get to keep the higher amount ($2,400).
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Lim Wong
•Thank you for explaining! So I guess there's no financial advantage in our specific situation since we have identical benefit amounts. That makes our planning a bit more straightforward.
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Noah huntAce420
I was in this exact situation last year when my wife passed. We both got around $2,200 each month. After she died, I just continued getting my same benefit amount. The SSA representative explained that survivor benefits only help when there's a difference between what each spouse receives. One thing to consider though - you'll go from two SS incomes down to one, which is a big household income drop. That's the part that hit me hardest financially.
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Lim Wong
•I'm so sorry for your loss. And thank you for sharing your experience - that's exactly what I was trying to understand. You're absolutely right about the household income being cut in half. That's the part we're trying to plan for with insurance and savings.
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Ana Rusula
my sister thought she would get more when her husband died but she just kept getting her own check which was same amount as his. its really unfair when u think about it, married couples should get SOMETHING extra for survivor cuz expenses dont get cut in half when someone dies. still gotta pay same housing costs etc
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Dananyl Lear
•You raise a good point about expenses. While some costs decrease with one fewer person in the household, major expenses like mortgage/rent, property taxes, and utilities remain largely the same. This is why financial planning for the surviving spouse scenario is so important - the household income drops significantly while many expenses continue.
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Fidel Carson
Wait I'm confused... I thought survivor benefits were 100% of what the deceased spouse got? So wouldn't the surviving spouse get their own $2400 PLUS the deceased's $2400 for a total of $4800? That's what my neighbor told me happened with her parents.
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Dananyl Lear
•Your neighbor might have misunderstood or miscommunicated what happened. The SSA rule is very clear that a survivor gets the HIGHER of either their own benefit OR their deceased spouse's benefit (not both combined). The 100% figure you mentioned refers to the fact that the survivor gets 100% of the deceased spouse's benefit IF they choose that instead of their own. But they never get both benefits added together.
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Isaiah Sanders
Just adding another perspective - if your benefits aren't EXACTLY identical (even if they're just a few dollars different), the surviving spouse would get the higher amount. So check your benefit statements carefully. Also, don't forget about the one-time death benefit of $255 that Social Security pays to the surviving spouse. It's not much, but it's something.
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Lim Wong
•Good point about checking if there's even a small difference in our benefit amounts! I'll have to look at our most recent statements. And I had completely forgotten about that $255 death benefit - though you're right that it doesn't go very far these days.
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Xan Dae
I've been trying to reach someone at Social Security to get clarity on EXACTLY this question for WEEKS!!! Can't get through on the phone no matter what time I call, and the local office is booked out for months. The website doesn't clearly explain this scenario. SO FRUSTRATING!!! I eventually found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual SSA representative in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The SSA person confirmed what others here are saying - if both spouses get the same amount, the survivor just continues getting their own benefit. No increase.
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Fidel Carson
•Does that service actually work? I've tried calling SS like 5 times this month and always give up after being on hold forever.
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Xan Dae
•Yes, it worked for me! After struggling for weeks trying to get through the normal way, I was skeptical but desperate. Got connected in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold all day. Was definitely worth it to finally get my questions answered by an actual SSA person.
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Fiona Gallagher
The whole survivor benefit system is RIGGED against couples where both worked! My wife and I both worked 35+ years, both get similar SS amounts, and when one of us dies, all that money we both paid into the system for decades just DISAPPEARS! Meanwhile, couples where only one person worked actually get MORE value from their contributions. The whole system penalizes dual-income households!!!
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Isaiah Sanders
•It can certainly feel that way, though the system wasn't designed to be unfair intentionally. The survivor benefits were created when single-earner households were the norm. The fundamental issue is that Social Security was never meant to be an investment account where you get back what you put in - it's social insurance with redistributive elements. That said, I understand your frustration, especially given how much dual-income couples contribute over their working lives.
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Noah huntAce420
One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet - there are potential tax advantages for the surviving spouse. When you go from married filing jointly to filing as a surviving spouse/single, the tax brackets change. So while the gross SS amount doesn't increase in your situation, the net amount might be different due to potential changes in taxation of those benefits. Might be worth consulting with a tax professional about this aspect of your planning.
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Lim Wong
•That's a really important point I hadn't thought about! The tax implications could definitely affect our overall financial picture. I'll add this to the list of things to discuss with our financial advisor. Thank you!
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Ana Rusula
my aunt got widows benefits even tho she worked and had her own ss. they told her something about FRA and delayed retirement credits? i dont really understand it but maybe theres exceptions?
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Dananyl Lear
•Your aunt's situation might have been different in a few ways: 1. Her husband may have delayed claiming past his Full Retirement Age (FRA), earning Delayed Retirement Credits that increased his benefit amount above what she was receiving. 2. It's also possible their benefit amounts weren't identical - even a small difference would mean the surviving spouse gets the higher amount. 3. There are special rules if she was claiming spousal benefits rather than her own worker benefit. Without knowing the specific details, it's hard to say exactly why her case was different, but these are the most likely explanations.
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