what happens to survivor social security benefits after kids are past age

A piddling-known feature of the Social Security system is that in addition to paying retirement benefits for the retired worker, it may provide benefits to the worker'due south spouse, an ex-spouse if the marriage lasted at least 10 years, and dependent children and grandchildren, depending on the circumstances. Moreover, these benefits can be paid all at the same time.

Spousal Benefits

Your spouse is entitled to an amount equal to one-half of your total main insurance amount (PIA). In society to receive this benefit, your spouse must be at to the lowest degree 62 years erstwhile or caring for your child entitled to receive benefits on your work record who is younger than xvi or disabled.  Also, you must be receiving Social Security retirement benefits in order for your spouse to receive them likewise.

Information technology may be that your spouse could receive more from Social Security based on her ain earnings record than through your spousal benefit. If this is the case, the Social Security Administration (SSA) automatically provides your spouse the larger do good.

If you retire early, your spouse will still receive benefits based on one-half of the PIA you would have received had you waited until full retirement age to retire. Simply in lodge to receive a full half of your PIA, your spouse must await to begin receiving the retirement benefits at her total retirement historic period. If she opts to receive benefits before that time, she will be penalized according to a formula similar to that used to compute the reduced benefits of workers who retire early on.

For more information on spousal benefits, click here.

Children'south Benefits

Children and even grandchildren who are unmarried and dependent upon you (the retired worker) for their support are eligible for benefits. To be eligible, the child must be under age 18, nether historic period 19 but nonetheless in simple school or loftier school, or over age 18 simply take become mentally or physically disabled prior to age 22.

Children generally receive an amount equal to half of your PIA, up to a "family maximum" benefit. The family maximum is calculated when y'all reach age 62, and is determined by a formula like to that used to determine the PIA. The family unit maximum depends on the amount of your benefit and the number of family members who also qualify on your piece of work tape. The total varies, but it is by and large equal to nigh 150 to 180 percent of your retirement benefit. Every January i the family unit maximum benefit may be increased to reverberate a ascent in the cost of living.

Because of the maximum, the more dependents you have, the less each of their individual benefits will be, although your own benefit will not be reduced. For example, let's say Henry'southward PIA is $i,500 and his family maximum is $2,300. Henry would receive his $ane,500 a month, and his wife, Beatrice, and their dependent kid, Barbara, would split the remaining $800 a month ($ii,300 - $1,500). If Henry and Beatrice had two children who qualified for benefits, the remaining $800 after Henry'due south benefit would be evenly divided three ways. Upon the worker'southward death, dependent children receive 75 per centum of the worker's PIA, up to the family unit maximum, until they outgrow their eligibility.

Benefits for a Divorced Spouse

If you are the retired worker, your divorced spouse is eligible to receive an amount equal to one-half of your PIA, provided the marriage lasted at to the lowest degree 10 years. The rules are similar to those for spousal benefits described higher up, with two notable exceptions. Beginning, your divorced spouse can begin receiving benefits even before you lot take begun receiving benefits yourself. The SSA does require, however, that yous be at least 62 years one-time and that the divorce have been final for at to the lowest degree ii years if yous have non however reached full retirement historic period. Second, your divorced spouse's benefits are not counted in your "family unit maximum" benefit described above, and they do not affect that maximum.

Divorced spouses who had more one union that lasted at least 10 years practice not receive multiple benefit checks, one for each marriage. Merely the SSA does automatically choose the old wedlock that will yield the largest benefit to the ex-spouse. Divorced spouses generally cannot collect benefits on their former spouse'south tape unless their later on marriage ends (whether by death, divorce, or disparateness).

For more than information on benefits for divorced spouses, click hither.

Survivor's Benefits

When you die, sure family members may be eligible to receive monthly survivor's benefits, including:

• A widow or widower age 60 or older (age fifty or older if they have a inability).
• A surviving divorced spouse, under sure circumstances.
• A widow or widower at any age who is caring for the deceased'southward child who is under historic period 16 or has a disability and is receiving child's benefits.
• An single kid of the deceased who is younger than age 18 (or up to age nineteen if they are a total-time student in an unproblematic or secondary schoolhouse) or historic period 18 or older with a disability that began before age 22.
• Parents, age 62 or older, who were dependent on the deceased for at least half of their support.

If your spouse is at total retirement age when you die, and then the spouse begins receiving your bodily benefits. This is true even if you lot and spouse were divorced, so long every bit yous had been married for at least 10 years.

While a spouse can claim survivor'south benefits equally early on every bit age 60, the benefits will be permanently reduced. If the surviving spouse claims benefits between historic period 60 and full retirement age, he or she receives a reduced percentage of the your benefits. At age 60, the spouse volition receive 71.5 pct of the bodily benefits. If the spouse waits to collect, this percentage increases each year until the spouse reaches total retirement age, at which point he or she can receive 100 percent of the actual benefits. A surviving spouse who is historic period 50 to 59 besides receives 71.5 percentage of the bodily benefits. Spouses caring for a child and the decedent's dependents receive 75 pct of the decedent'southward actual do good. Dependent parents receive 75 percent each or 82.5 percent if in that location is only ane parent.

If a surviving spouse, including a divorced spouse, remarries before turning age 60, then the spouse is no longer eligible for benefits unless the new marriage ends. Spouses who remarry later on age sixty are still eligible for survivor's benefits.

Finally, the surviving spouse (if not divorced) of a deceased worker or, if there is no spouse, the children nether historic period 18 are entitled to a lump sum death benefit of $255.

For more than on survivor'southward benefits, click here.

For more on Social Security benefits, click here.

Last Modified: 02/04/2022

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Source: https://www.elderlawanswers.com/social-security-benefits-for-spouses-and-children-12503

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