My Spouse Passed Away. What Benefits May Be Available to Me?
Losing a spouse can affect Social Security, Medicare, health insurance, household income, taxes, and other benefits. You may be entitled to support you do not know about, but the rules depend on your individual situation.
Find Benefits I May Be Missing ↓You Do Not Need to Know Which Benefit to Ask About
Survivor benefits are not limited to one monthly Social Security payment. Your age, marriage history, disability status, children, employment, health coverage, and your spouse’s work record can all affect what deserves a closer look. This page will help you identify the right questions and next steps.
Monthly Survivor Benefits
A surviving spouse may be able to receive Social Security survivor benefits based on the deceased spouse’s work record. Age, disability, remarriage, earnings, and the timing of the claim can affect the result.
Benefits for Children
An unmarried child may qualify based on age, school attendance, or a disability that began before age 22. Some stepchildren, adopted children, and grandchildren may also need to be considered.
Medicare and Health Coverage
Losing coverage through a spouse can create Medicare or health-insurance deadlines. COBRA, employer coverage, Medicare enrollment, and Marketplace coverage must be evaluated separately.
One-Time Death Payment
A qualifying spouse or child may be able to receive Social Security’s one-time lump-sum death payment. This payment has its own eligibility and application rules.
Your Own Retirement Benefit
If you have a Social Security work record of your own, claiming survivor benefits can involve timing decisions. Social Security does not simply add two full benefits together.
Additional Support
Depending on income, assets, health, military service, and location, programs involving Medicare costs, prescriptions, food, housing, or caregiving may also deserve review.
Find Benefits You May Be Missing
Answer a series of questions about your age, marriage, children, disability, health coverage, and household situation. Your results can identify benefits and next steps worth investigating.
The assessment provides educational guidance. Final eligibility and benefit amounts must be confirmed by the responsible government agency or benefit provider.
Start My Survivor Benefits Review →Who Should Be Considered?
A death may affect more than the current spouse. Each possible claimant can have different rules.
What Should I Do First?
You do not need to solve every financial and benefit question immediately. Start with the deadlines and information that cannot wait.
Contact Social Security
Monthly survivor benefits are not currently applied for online. Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or contact a local Social Security office.
Protect Health Coverage
Determine whether your insurance was connected to your spouse’s job or Medicare plan. Coverage deadlines can arrive before the rest of the estate is settled.
Review the Whole Household
Consider children, former spouses, dependent parents, disability, current income, and your own Social Security record before assuming only one benefit applies.
This Page Is a Starting Point, Not a Benefit Decision
Social Security determines eligibility and payment amounts for Social Security survivor benefits. Medicare, Medicaid, employer plans, Marketplace coverage, veterans programs, and state assistance programs each apply their own rules.
The information on this page is educational and should not be treated as legal, tax, financial, or government benefit advice. Rules can change, and individual facts matter.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are common questions people ask after a spouse passes away.
At what age can I receive Social Security survivor benefits?
A surviving spouse may qualify beginning at age 60, or from age 50 through 59 if the surviving spouse has a qualifying disability. A spouse caring for the deceased person’s child who is under 16 or has a disability may qualify under different rules.
Can I receive my own Social Security and my spouse’s full benefit?
Social Security generally does not add two full benefits together. If you qualify for more than one benefit, the timing and payment rules require closer review. Contact Social Security before making an irreversible claiming decision.
Can a divorced spouse receive survivor benefits?
A surviving divorced spouse may qualify if the marriage lasted at least 10 years and other age, disability, and remarriage requirements are met. The deceased former spouse’s remarriage does not automatically prevent a qualifying former spouse from receiving benefits.
Does remarriage affect survivor benefits?
It can. Remarriage before age 60 can affect survivor eligibility, with separate considerations for a disabled surviving spouse beginning at age 50. Remarriage at or after age 60 generally does not prevent eligibility on the deceased spouse’s record. Confirm your specific situation with Social Security.
Can my children receive survivor benefits?
An unmarried child may qualify if the child is under 18, is age 18–19 and attends elementary or secondary school full time, or has a qualifying disability that began before age 22. Other family relationships can sometimes qualify under specific rules.
Can I apply for Social Security survivor benefits online?
Social Security currently instructs people to call 1-800-772-1213 or contact a local Social Security office to apply for monthly survivor benefits. Ask separately about the one-time lump-sum death payment.
You Do Not Have to Know What to Ask For
Tell me what has changed, and we can identify the Medicare, health-coverage, and benefit questions that deserve your attention next.
Find Benefits I May Be Missing →