Am I Eligible for a Widow's Social Security Benefit?

Q: I am 75 years old and retired. My husband passed away in 1994, and I retired shortly afterwards. We both worked for 31 years at an aircraft company. I'm drawing my Social Security and a small pension. I'm wondering if I can also receive a widow's share of my husband's Social Security. We were married 41 years and 4 days when he passed away. -- AD via email

A: You certainly are eligible for a widow's benefit! But you can't collect it in addition to your own Social Security benefit. What you're entitled to receive is a combination that equals the larger of the two amounts. 

If your own retirement benefit is $500 a month, for example, and your widow's benefit is $900 a month, you are eligible to collect $900 a month -- your own $500, plus $400 based on your husband's record.

Your marriage only has to have lasted for nine months to qualify you for a widow's benefit. To collect a benefit based on your husband's record during his lifetime, you must have been married for at least one year. (And to collect on a former husband's work record -- during his lifetime or after his death -- your marriage must have lasted at least ten years.)

The amount you receive based on your  spouse's record depends partly on your own age when you apply for it. At full retirement age -- which in your case was 65 -- your maximum widow's benefit is 100% of the amount your husband was eligible to receive when he died.

Your widow's benefit should be included in the amount you're getting now. When you file for your own retirement benefit, the Social Security Administration always checks your eligibility for any other benefits and makes sure that you receive the maximum combination you qualify for.

At least, that's the way it works 99 percent of the time.  But mistakes do happen. I have heard from two readers who didn't learn until years after the fact that they were entitled to widow's benefits. Better late than never, although unfortunately survivor's benefits are only retroactive for six months.

You should make sure that you're currently receiving everything you're entitled to. Call the Social Security Administration at 1 800-772-1213, and if necessary make an appointment to visit one of the agency's local field offices.

And speaking of mistakes, last Friday's post contained an error about a deadline for taking a required minimum distribution from a 401(k) account. My thanks to Barry C. Picker for catching it! For a correction, and the accurate information, please see the revised post.

Please send your questions to [email protected].  I'm sorry I can't respond personally to every email. Questions are only addressed online.

(c) Lynn Brenner, All Rights Reserved