Can You Inherit Social Security Benefits?

You can't just grab a loved one's Social Security retirement check after they're gone — like you might inherit a car or a bank account. What Social Security does for dependents and spouses is set up a brand-new payout called a survivor benefit, built on the person's work history. Once a worker dies, their own retirement benefits (and access to their Social Security number) end immediately. Then, survivor benefits kick in. The Social Security Administration defines survivors benefits as monthly payments made to certain family members of a worker who dies, provided the worker had earned enough Social Security credits.

These death-based payments aren't the same as retirement checks. They're meant for close family; spouses, dependent children, even some parents who relied on that income. Think of it as a financial safety net to help the household stay afloat after losing its breadwinner. Survivor benefits only start once the original monthly payments stop, and they can't be passed down or "inherited" like other assets. Instead, they replace the income the worker would have provided, giving families one less thing to worry about.

Surviving spouses — and even some ex-spouses — can tap into survivor benefits if they were legally tied to the worker who passed away and meet specific age requirements or caregiving rules. A widow or widower can start collecting at 60. If they have a qualifying disability, that window opens as early as 50. Ex-spouses aren't left out, either; if their marriage lasted 10 years or more, they're in the mix too, especially if they're raising the deceased's kid(s) under 16.

Kids can get checks, too, as long as they're under 18. If they are in high school full-time, they are covered up to 19. If a child becomes disabled before turning 22, they keep that eligibility forever. Sometimes step-kids, grandkids, or adopted children slip in under the same rules — so long as the family ties check out.

Then, there are aging parents who depended on the worker for at least half their support. Once they hit 62, they can apply for survivor benefits to make sure they're not left scrambling. Just remember, benefits don't kick in automatically. Everyone has to apply and show proof. SSA's Program Operations Manual (POMS) lists the evidence you must file with a survivors-benefits application, including "dated proof of relationship to the deceased worker," your own age, and proof that the worker provided at least one-half of your support.

What you get depends on your relationship to the worker and your age when you start. A spouse who waits until full retirement age of 67 will receive the exact monthly amount the worker would have gotten. If you claim at 60, though, that check can fall to between 71% and 99%. Disabled widows or widowers can begin collecting at 50, with the same reduction. Ex-spouses married at least 10 years follow those exact rules — full pay at full retirement age or the 71% and 99 % cut rate at 60 (or 50 if disabled) — as long as they haven't remarried before those ages.

Kids under 18 (or up to 19 if they're still full-time in high school) get about 75% of the worker's full benefit, and any child who became disabled before age 22 keeps that rate for life. Parents over 62 who counted on that worker for at least half their support can claim roughly 82.5%. But there's a catch; all these payouts share a single pool, capped at about 150% and 188% of the worker's own benefit.

If everyone's combined claims would top that ceiling, the SSA trims each person's share so the total never exceeds the legal limit. For example, if a surviving spouse (100%) and two children (75% each) would together claim 250% of the worker's monthly checks — exceeding, say, a 180% family cap — SSA scales each benefit down by the same factor so their shares sum to 180%.