Do widows get survivor benefits if they remarry?

Asked by: Virginie Becker  |  Last update: February 20, 2026
Score: 4.1/5 (7 votes)

A widow(er) is eligible to receive benefits if she or he is at least age 60. If a widow(er) remarries before age 60, she or he forfeits the benefit and, therefore, faces a marriage penalty. Under current law, there is no penalty if the remarriage occurs at 60 years of age or later.

What happens to my Social Security widow benefits if I remarry?

If you remarry before age 60, you will not be entitled to survivor's benefits, unless: Your subsequent marriage ends, whether by death, divorce, or annulment; or. Your marriage occurred after age 50 and you were entitled to benefits as a disabled widow(er) or disabled surviving divorced spouse.

What disqualifies you from survivor benefits for Social Security?

If you remarry before you turn 60, your remarriage will affect the benefits you receive. After the age of 60, remarriage will no longer affect eligibility. The SSA compares survivor benefits to a life insurance policy that workers contribute to throughout their careers.

Who gets survivor benefits, first or second wife?

Answer: Both your current spouse and your ex could be entitled to survivor benefits based on your work record. Typically someone must be married nine months to qualify for survivor benefits on a current spouse's record. If the spouses divorced, the marriage must have lasted 10 years.

Does the government give you money when your spouse dies?

Survivor benefits provide monthly payments to eligible family members of people who worked and paid Social Security taxes before they died.

Social Security Survivor/Widow Benefits 2023

22 related questions found

What is a widow entitled to when her husband dies?

If your spouse built up entitlement to the State Second Pension between 2002 and 2016, you are entitled to inherit 50% of this amount; PLUS. If your spouse built up entitlement to Graduated Retirement Benefit between 1961 and 1975, you are entitled to inherit 50% of this amount.

When a husband dies does the wife get survivor benefits?

In general, as long as the surviving spouse had been married to the deceased for at least nine months prior to death, they will qualify for survivor benefits. The surviving spouse can claim survivor benefits as early as age 60, or age 50 if they have been declared by the Social Security Administration to be disabled.

Will I lose my widows pension if I remarry?

If you remarry before age 50 – You won't be eligible for survivors or disability benefits as a surviving spouse unless your later marriage ends by divorce or annulment.

How do I get the $16728 Social Security bonus?

Have you heard about the Social Security $16,728 yearly bonus? There's really no “bonus” that retirees can collect. The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a specific formula based on your lifetime earnings to determine your benefit amount.

Will I lose my survivor benefits if I get married?

Monthly annuity payments to a surviving spouse generally continue for life unless your spouse remarries before age 55. If your spouse was married to you for at least 30 years, he or she can continue receiving benefits when there is a remarriage before age 55 that occurred after January 1, 1995.

Does a widow get 100% of her husband's Social Security?

Surviving spouse, at full retirement age or older, generally gets 100% of the worker's basic benefit amount. Surviving spouse, age 60 or older, but under full retirement age, gets between 71% and 99% of the worker's basic benefit amount.

What is an ex-wife entitled to when her ex-husband dies?

Social Security rules allow a qualifying former spouse to claim benefits based on the work history of a higher-earning ex. These benefits are worth up to 50% of that former spouse's Social Security benefit at full retirement age. However, if that former spouse dies, the benefit's value is worth up to 100%.

Can you be denied widow benefits?

Several factors can disqualify you from receiving survivor benefits, such as: Remarrying before a certain age. Your deceased spouse not having earned enough work credits. Not meeting the SSA definition of a spouse.

Do I lose my survivor pension if I remarry?

Your pension will continue even if you remarry.

What is the difference between survivor benefits and widow benefits for Social Security?

The short version: Spousal benefits are available to retired workers' spouses or ex-spouses. They pay up to 50% of a worker's monthly retirement or disability benefit. Survivor benefits are paid to a surviving spouse or surviving ex-spouse when a Social Security beneficiary dies.

Why would a widower not want to remarry?

We discover that men who are uncertain about remarriage are likely to be influenced by their view of their first marriage, and this is often in the form of wife sanctification. In particular, widowers are concerned that a second marriage may not be as successful as their first.

How to get $3000 a month in Social Security?

Exactly how much in earnings do you need to get a $3,000 benefit? Well, you just need to have averaged about 70% of the taxable maximum. In our example case, that means that your earnings in 1983 were about $22,000 and increased every year to where they ended at about $100,000 at age 62.

What are the three ways you can lose your Social Security?

Indeed, here are three ways you can lose at least part of your Social Security benefit.
  • No. 1: Keep working while taking benefits early. ...
  • No. 2: Be a substantially lower-earning spouse. ...
  • No. 3: Be alive in 2034. ...
  • Social Security still provides an important foundation for retirement.

Who qualifies for an extra $144 added to their Social Security?

To qualify to get $144 added back to your Social Security check, you can enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan that offers a Part B premium reduction or giveback benefit.

What happens to a widow's Social Security if she remarries?

The current law requires that the widow be unmarried in order to claim widow benefits, unless the marriage occurred after the widow attained age 60. That is, a widow who remarries before age 60 has no claim to the widow benefits (so long as the remarriage remains intact) and therefore faces a marriage penalty.

Is it good for a widow to remarry?

Greater psychological well-being was highly correlated with being remarried or in a new romance 25 months after the spouse's death. It may be helpful for family, friends, and therapists to know that dating and remarriage are common and appear to be highly adaptive behaviors among the recently bereaved.

Will I lose my deceased husband's pension if I remarry?

You will receive your survivor's pension for the rest of your life. Remarrying or entering into a new civil union does not affect your surviving spouse pension. Even though there may be no change in your pension, you do need to advise us of any name or address change to make sure your payments are not interrupted.

What not to do when your spouse dies?

Top 10 Things Not to Do When Someone Dies
  1. 1 – DO NOT tell their bank. ...
  2. 2 – DO NOT wait to call Social Security. ...
  3. 3 – DO NOT wait to call their Pension. ...
  4. 4 – DO NOT tell the utility companies. ...
  5. 5 – DO NOT give away or promise any items to loved ones. ...
  6. 6 – DO NOT sell any of their personal assets. ...
  7. 7 – DO NOT drive their vehicles.

What disqualifies you from Social Security survivor benefits?

However, not everyone can collect survivor benefits. Eligibility typically depends on several factors, including the deceased worker's earned Social Security credits, the survivor's relationship to the deceased, as well as their age or disability status.