Social Security Survivor and Spousal Benefit Calculator

When should a widow or widower claim the survivor benefit?

Enter your own and your late spouse's benefit amounts from the ssa.gov statement. You get the survivor benefit at every age from 60, your own benefit at every age from 62, and which order and timing pays the most by the age you plan to.

The numbers on the page are an example. Replace every one with the amounts on your my Social Security account. Not financial advice, and not a statement from the Social Security Administration.

Your birth year

Your own benefit at full retirement age (PIA, $ per month; 0 if none)

Deceased spouse's PIA ($ per month)

Deceased spouse's birth year

Age the deceased started benefits (or was at death if never claimed)

Your survivor full retirement age (years)

Plan to age

Living spouse's PIA ($ per month, 0 to skip the spousal check)

Age you would claim a spousal benefit

Fill in the answers, then click Calculate.

Result

Monthly benefit by claiming age

Claiming strategies

What it does, and what it leaves to you

Covers: the survivor benefit by claiming age (71.5% at 60 rising to 100% at survivor full retirement age), the 82.5% widow limit when the worker claimed early, delayed credits the worker earned, your own benefit by claiming age, every survivor-first or own-first combination compared by total to your planning age, and the spousal top-up.
Gives: a printable or downloadable text summary to take to a Social Security appointment or a planner.
Not decided: taxes on benefits, the earnings test, cost-of-living adjustments, remarriage, divorced-spouse and child benefits, Medicare premiums and your actual SSA record. Your Social Security Administration office or planner decides these.

Common questions

How much is a Social Security survivor benefit?

A widow or widower can get up to 100% of what the deceased worker was receiving, or would have received at full retirement age, if the survivor waits until their own survivor full retirement age. Claiming as early as 60 pays 71.5% of that amount. If the worker claimed early, the survivor gets the larger of the reduced benefit and 82.5% of the worker's primary insurance amount.

Can I take the survivor benefit first and my own later?

Often yes. You can claim one benefit at a reduced rate and switch to the other later, for example survivor benefits from 60 and your own retirement benefit at 70, when delayed credits have raised it by up to 24% to 32%. When both are claimed you receive the larger one, not both added together. This calculator compares the combinations.

How much is a spousal benefit?

Up to 50% of the worker's primary insurance amount at your full retirement age, paid only as the amount that exceeds your own benefit, and only once the worker has filed. Claiming at 62 with a full retirement age of 67 cuts it to 32.5% of the worker's amount. Spousal benefits get no delayed credits after full retirement age.

Is my data uploaded anywhere?

No. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is sent.