Suvivor Benefits on Social Secrurity Qualifications
The Social Security program administers retirement, disability and survivor benefits. Workers are required to participate in the program through payroll deductions. Employers also contribute to the program. When a worker retires or dies, benefits become available.
The Social Security Administration says that survivor benefits are much like life insurance, helping families cope financially with the death of a loved one. In general, survivor benefits are available to surviving spouses and children under the age of 18.
Understanding the qualifications for Social Security Survivor Benefits can help you and your family plan ahead.
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Qualifications for a Surviving Spouse
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If your husband or wife dies, the Social Security Administration considers you the "surviving spouse."
You are entitled to a one-time lump-sum death payment to help cover funeral costs. As of June 2009, this payment amount is $255.
You may also qualify for a monthly survivor benefit if you meet certain criteria. These include any one of the following:
--You are over 60 years old.
--You are over 50 years old and disabled.
--You care for your deceased spouse's children who are under the age of 16.
Qualifications for a Former Spouse
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An ex-wife or ex-husband may also receive survivor benefits. Typically, this does not affect how much the other survivors--children and the current spouse--receive.
As an ex-spouse, you may qualify for benefits if you meet one of the following requirements:
--You care for the deceased's natural or adopted children who are under 16 years old.
--Your previous marriage lasted over 10 years, and you are over 60 years old at the time of your ex-spouse's death. If you are disabled, you must be over 50 years old to meet this requirement.
Qualifications for Surviving Children
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Social Security provides a monthly benefit to help support dependent children when one or both parents die.
This benefit is paid to the child's legal guardian, usually the surviving parent, who acts as a representative payee for the child. It is separate from a spousal survivor benefit.
In order for a child to receive a survivor's benefit, the deceased must have been the child's natural or adoptive parent or legal guardian. In some cases, stepchildren and grandchildren may also qualify based on guardianship.
Children receive survivor benefits until they are 18 years old, or 19 years old if still in high school.
A disabled child will qualify for survivor benefits throughout his life, with no age limits, if his disability began before the age of 22.
Social Security Qualifications for Surviving Parents
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When people talk about Social Security Survivor Benefits, they usually are thinking about the support that's given to spouses and children.
However, surviving parents can receive benefits in limited cases. Does your working adult child provide more than one half of your support, perhaps by covering most of your living expenses? If so, you probably qualify for a survivor's benefit.
Reasons for Disqualification
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Just because your spouse dies, that does not mean that you and your children are guaranteed a survivor benefit. Here are some reasons why:
Social Security benefits are created when the government automatically withholds money from paychecks. Workers earn credit for each year worked. A minimum number of credits, or years, is needed for survivors to receive benefits. This number will vary based on the type of benefits and age of the worker who died.
If your spouse did not work at all or had a job where he was not paying into Social Security, then there may not be a benefit available to your family.
Even if you initially qualify for survivor benefits, you may later be disqualified as your circumstances change. For example, if you remarry, your survivor benefits will end unless you are over 60 years old. Remarriage does not affect surviving children's benefits, though.
Also, the amount of your survivor benefit will be affected by how much money you earn. According to the Social Security Administration website, your benefit is reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn over $14,160 in the year 2009. This reduction does not apply to survivors over 65 years old.
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