You may qualify for survivor’s benefits if you fall into one of the following situations:
Your children are under 18 – Your spouse dies and you are still caring for their minor children
You’re over 60 – Your spouse dies and you’re over 60 years old, regardless of your children’s ages
You were dependent on your deceased child – You are over 62 years of age and were dependent on a child who died
You’re divorced and your ex-spouse dies – You are now divorced but your ex died, depending on how long you were married
In addition to these eligibility requirements for ongoing survivor’s benefit payments, you will also get a one-time payment of $255 if you lose your spouse. However, you must have been living together at the time of your spouse’s death. If there is no surviving spouse, the one-time benefit payment may pass to an eligible child.