Benefits Planner: Survivors | Planning For Your Survivors 
As you plan for the future , you'll want to think about what your family would need if you should die now. Social Security can help your family if you have earned enough Social Security credits through your work. You can earn up to four credits each year. In 2019 , for example , you earn one credit for each $1,360 of wages or self - employment income. When you have earned $5,440 , you have earned your four credits for the year. The number of credits needed to provide benefits for your survivors depends on your age when you die. No one needs more than 40 credits 10 years of work to be eligible for any Social Security benefit. But , the younger a person is , the fewer credits they must have for family members to receive survivors benefits. Benefits can be paid to your children and your spouse who is caring for the children even if you don't have the required number of credits. They can get benefits if you have credit for one and one - half years of work 6 credits in the three years just before your death. 

For Your Widow Or Widower 
There are about five million widows and widowers receiving monthly Social Security benefits based on their deceased spouse's earnings record. And , for many of those survivors, particularly aged women, those benefits are keeping them out of poverty. Widows and widowers can receive : reduced benefits as early as age 60 or full benefits at full retirement age or older. benefits as early as age 50 if they're disabled AND their disability started before or within seven years of your death. benefits at any age , if they have not remarried , and if they take care of your child who is under age 16 or disabled and receives benefits on your record. If applying for disability benefits on a deceased worker s record , they can speed up the application process if they complete an Adult Disability Report and have it available at the time of their appointment. We use the same definition of dis

user: I'm looking for information regarding benefits planning, can you help me?

assistant: Are you planning for your own future?

user: Yes I am

assistant: You need to think about what your family would do if you died now. Social Security can help your family, provided you have earned enough Social Security credits through your work

user: What are Social Security credits?

assistant: They are credits earned through your work and when you pay Social Security

user: What happens if the amount of spouse's benefit on my record is more than the widow's or widower's benefit on my Social Security record?

assistant: Is that's the case, they'll receive a combination of benefits which will total the higher amount in this instance

user: What happens if I don't have enough credits built up, do my children or spouse receive anything?

assistant: Your children and spouse can get benefits if you have credits built up for one and one-half years of work 6 credits in the three years just before your death

user: What if my surviving divorced spouse remarries?

assistant: They will continue to receive benefits on your Social Security record

user: What if my surviving spouse will be in receipt of a non-Social Security pension in the future, are their benefits going to be affected?

assistant: In this case, their benefits as a survivor may be affected, depending on what they will receive