“If you are married and your spouse passes away, the surviving spouse will keep the higher of the two Social Security payments,” says Steve Sexton, CEO of Sexton Advisory Group in Temecula, California. If you got divorced and your ex-spouse passed away, you can still claim survivor benefits if you are 60 or older.

How can I find my wife Social Security number?

A. Your local Social Security office should be able to help you. You should bring with you a non-expired ID, your birth certificate, your marriage certificate and proof of termination of the marriage, whether through divorce or death, Social Security said.

Can a widow collect on her late spouse’s Social Security?

If you apply on the basis of caring for a child who is under 16 or disabled, you can collect 75 percent of the late spouse’s benefit, regardless of your age. You will not receive a survivor benefit in addition to your own retirement benefit; Social Security will pay the higher of the two amounts.

What happens if my wife receives reduced social security?

If your wife is receiving a reduced retirement benefit, when she does apply for additional spouse’s benefits on your record, her own retirement portion remains reduced. When you add spouse’s benefits later, the total retirement and spouses benefit together will total less than 50 percent of the worker’s amount.

Can a surviving spouse collect Social Security at full retirement age?

A surviving spouse can collect 100 percent of the late spouse’s benefit if the survivor has reached full retirement age, but the amount will be lower if the deceased spouse claimed benefits before he or she reached full retirement age. (Full retirement age is currently 66 but is gradually increasing to 67 over the next several years.)

How old do you have to be to be a widow on social security?

See Social Security’s coronavirus page or call your local office for more information.] In most cases, a widow or widower qualifies for survivor benefits if he or she is at least 60 and had been married to the deceased for at least nine months at the time of death.