Losing a loved one who was receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to understanding what financial support is available for surviving family members. Social Security survivors benefits are designed to help ease the financial burden after the death of a disabled worker, providing monthly payments to eligible spouses, children, and sometimes other dependents.
This article explains who qualifies for survivors benefits and how benefit amounts are determined. Whether you're seeking support or planning for the future, understanding these benefits is essential for protecting your family's financial security.
Note that SSDI is a monthly disability payment that the federal government provides to individuals who have sufficient work history and earnings; see our overview of SSDI. Survivors benefits are not available to the dependent relatives of SSI recipients; there are no SSI survivor benefits.
Here are the various categories of relatives who are eligible to receive survivors benefits from the survivor benefit program.
If your spouse was receiving SSDI benefits when they passed away, you may be eligible to receive widow's or widower's benefits, if your spouse was "currently insured" before becoming disabled.
You can be eligible for benefits as a widow in several different ways. Depending on your category of eligibility, you'll be eligible to collect a certain percentage of your deceased spouse's SSDI benefit.
Here are the categories along with the percentage of your deceased spouse's SSDI benefit you can receive, depending on when you claim the benefit.
Here are some interesting twists on the surviving spouse benefit.
Remarriage. If you remarry before the age of 60 years old, you can't receive benefits as a surviving spouse. If you get remarried after you reach the age of 60 years old, or 50 years old if you are disabled, your SSDI benefits will not be affected.
Own retirement benefit. For widows who are of retirement age, the benefit that they could receive based on their own work history may be higher than the money that they receive from their deceased spouse's SSDI benefits. You can switch to your own retirement benefit as early as age 62.
Caring for the deceased spouse's child. If a widow is receiving benefits because they're caring for a child under 16 years old who receives SSDI benefits based on the deceased spouse's earnings record, the benefits to the widow will generally end when the child turns 16 years old. However, if the child is disabled and continues to be in the care of the widow and receives SSDI benefits based on the deceased parent's earnings record, the widow can continue to receive SSDI payments as well.
Working. If you work while collecting a widow's or widower's benefit, your monthly benefit may be reduced, depending on your age and your earned income. For more information, see our article on working and survivors benefits.
Nine-month marriage requirement. In most cases, to be eligible for the surviving spouse benefit, the widow must have been married to the deceased spouse for at least nine months. However, there are many exceptions to this rule; for instance, if the deceased spouse died due to a violent accident, this requirement doesn't usually apply. The requirement is also waived if you were in a same-sex relationship and your marriage didn't meet the nine-month requirement due to discriminatory marriage laws.
Full retirement age for survivors. The full retirement age for survivors is different from the full retirement age for retirees. Also called "full benefits age," it's set by the Social Security Administration (SSA) based on the year of the survivor's birth.
Birth Year |
Full Benefits Age |
1945-1956 |
66 years |
1957 |
66 years, 2 months |
1958 |
66 years, 4 months |
1959 |
66 years, 6 months |
1960 |
66 years, 8 months |
1961 |
66 years, 10 months |
1962 and later |
67 years |
For more information, see our article on widow's benefits and disabled widow's benefits.
If your parent died while receiving SSDI benefits or insured for SSDI, you may be eligible for SSDI survivor benefits. Social Security includes natural children, adopted children, and stepchildren as children of a deceased parent. In order to receive survivor benefits as a child, you must be:
You will receive 75% of your deceased parent's SSDI benefit until your 18th birthday; payments will actually stop the month before you turn 18 years old. The amount of your payment is subject to the family maximum benefit rules; see below.
If you are 18 years old or older, you may still be able to receive Social Security survivors benefits if you are in high school or disabled. See the "Adult Children" section just below.
As an adult child—a child of an SSDI recipient who is 18 years old or older—you may be eligible for Social Security survivors benefits under either of two circumstances.
Qualified adult children will receive 75% of their deceased parent's SSDI benefit, the same as children under 18. If an adult child is receiving benefits because as a full-time student, the benefits will end when school is completed or two months after turning 19, whichever comes first.
Disabled adult children will continue to receive benefits for as long as they are disabled and unmarried.
As a grandchild (which includes stepgrandchildren), you may be eligible to receive survivors benefits on the record of a deceased grandparent if the following requirements are met:
Qualified grandchildren will receive 75% of their grandparent's SSDI benefit, the same as children. The payments will continue until the grandchild's 18th birthday; payments will actually stop the month before the grandchild turns 18 years old.
If the grandchild is adopted by the grandparents, the above requirements for grandchildren need not be met. The adopted grandchild will instead need to meet the requirements laid out in the "Children" section.
If your disabled child was providing substantial support to you as an elderly parent, you can receive a percentage of their Social Security benefits if they die, only if they were fully insured for Social Security at the time of death. In addition, all of the following must be true.
If you are the only surviving parent, you will receive 82.5% of your deceased child's Social Security benefits. If there are two surviving parents, each parent will receive 75% of the deceased child's benefit.
Note that you have only two years after the death of your disabled child to provide evidence to show that your child provided at least one half of your support.
Here's a helpful chart that summarizes the survivors benefit percentages along with the eligibility requirements for each type of relative and how long the survivors benefit will last.
Type of Relative | Benefit Percentage | Key Requirements | Duration |
Surviving Spouse (Full Retirement Age) |
100% |
• Married 9+ months • Age 67 (FRA) • No remarriage before age 60 |
Lifetime |
Surviving Spouse (Age 60-FRA) |
71.5% - 99% |
• Married 9+ months • No remarriage before age 60 • Graduated percentage by age |
Until FRA (then 100%) |
Surviving Spouse (Disabled, 50-59) |
71.5% |
• Disabled • Married 9+ months • No remarriage before age 50 |
While disabled and unmarried |
Mother or Father (with child <16) |
75% |
• Caring for child under 16 • No age limit for spouse • No remarriage |
Until child turns 16 (unless disabled) |
Children (Under 18) |
75% |
• Unmarried • Financial dependency • Biological, adopted, or stepchild |
Until age 18 (or 19 if in high school) |
Adult Children (Disabled) |
75% |
• Disabled before age 22 • Unmarried • Continues to be disabled |
While disabled and unmarried |
Grandchildren |
75% |
• Parents deceased/disabled • In grandparent's care • Meet dependency requirements |
Until age 18 |
Dependent Parents (One surviving) |
82.5% |
• Age 62+ • Child provided 50%+ support • Apply within 2 years |
Lifetime |
Dependent Parents (Two surviving, each) |
75% |
• Age 62+ • Child provided 50%+ support • Apply within 2 years |
Lifetime |
Social Security puts a limit on how much a family can receive based on their deceased relative's Social Security benefits. Generally, a family cannot receive more than 150-180% of the total amount of the deceased's Social Security benefit. If the percentage of awarded benefits would be higher than that percentage, each family member's percentage would be reduced proportionally until the total awarded amount meets the percentage limit.
Note that benefits paid to surviving divorced spouses don't count toward the maximum family benefit.
While ex-husbands and ex-wives can collect a benefit based on their deceased ex-spouses' earnings record, there is a different set of eligibility and payment rules. For more information, see our article on disability benefits for surviving divorced spouses.
Social Security will pay a one-time lump-sum death payment of $255 to surviving spouses who were living with the SSDI recipient at the time of death. If they were living apart, they can still receive the $255 if they were receiving Social Security benefits based on the deceased's record or if they are eligible for survivors benefits.
If the SSDI recipient did not have a surviving spouse, Social Security will pay the $255 lump-sum death benefits to a child or children who are eligible for benefits based on the deceased's record.
Here is the information you'll need to apply for the lump-sum death benefit.
To apply for Social Security survivors benefits based on a loved one's earnings record, you'll need to visit your local SSA office or call the Social Security Administration (SSA) at 800-772-1213. An online application isn't available for survivors benefits.
Apply as soon as you reasonably can after your disabled relative's death to avoid losing benefits; retroactive payments are only available for some relatives (like surviving spouses and some disabled individuals).
Be prepared to provide documents such as your Social Security number, a death certificate, your marriage certificate (for spouses), and your birth certificate (for children).
If you were already receiving spousal retirement or disability benefits, Social Security will convert them to survivors benefits once the agency learns of your relative's death.
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