Social Security survivor benefit estimator

When a spouse dies, the survivor keeps the larger of the two Social Security checks — not both. For many couples that’s a real drop in monthly income right when it matters most. Estimate the survivor benefit and the household gap it leaves.

Deceased spouse’s benefit at their full retirement age (PIA) the “full retirement age” figure on their Social Security statement — not necessarily the check they got Age the deceased claimed claiming early permanently lowered their check — and caps yours Deceased’s full retirement age Survivor’s own monthly benefit on their own work record Survivor’s age when claiming the survivor benefit Survivor’s full retirement age (FRA) 67 for those born 1962 or later; ~66–67 if older

A simplified estimate. A survivor benefit is worth up to 100% of the deceased’s benefit if claimed at the survivor’s full retirement age, reduced to about 71.5% if claimed at the earliest age of 60 (50 if disabled). If the deceased claimed before their own full retirement age, the “RIB-LIM” rule caps the survivor benefit at the greater of the check they were actually receiving or 82.5% of their full-retirement-age amount — it does not reset to the full amount, which is why this tool asks for their claiming age. You generally receive only the higher of your own or the survivor benefit, but you can often take one first and switch to the other later to let it grow — a strategy worth checking. Widow(er)s who remarry before 60 usually lose the benefit. Not financial advice; confirm your numbers with Social Security at ssa.gov/benefits/survivors.

If you are still working, read this before claiming early. This tool does not model the retirement earnings test, and for a widow or widower in their early 60s it is often the thing that decides the answer. If you claim before your full retirement age and keep working, Social Security withholds $1 of benefit for every $2 you earn above $24,480 (2026). A survivor working a normal full-time job can clear that limit easily enough to have every dollar of the survivor benefit withheld — while still locking in the permanent reduction for claiming early. Claiming at 60 and receiving nothing is a real outcome, not a hypothetical. In the year you reach full retirement age the test loosens to $1 withheld for every $3 over $65,160, and from the month you reach full retirement age it disappears entirely, however much you earn.

Two things soften it, and both are worth knowing before you decide. Withheld benefits are not simply lost: at full retirement age Social Security recalculates your benefit to credit the months that were withheld, which raises the check from then on. And the reduction for claiming early is permanent, which is the part that doesn’t come back. The two don’t cancel out, and which way the math falls depends on your earnings, so this is a good question to take to Social Security directly — or to your free SHIP counselor — before filing. Current limits: SSA’s earnings-test exempt amounts.