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Social Security
Survivor's Benefits
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When Social Security was first established in
1935, many wives did not work outside the home.
Because they were dependent on their husband's
income it made perfect sense that their Social
Security benefits were determined by their
husband's Social Security income.
Back then, when they reached retirement age,
most women received a Social Security check
equal to half the amount their husband was
receiving. If he passed away before her, she
could then receive a Social Security check equal
to the amount her husband had been receiving
(100% of "his" Social Security).
If you have ever heard an older woman saying "I
get my husband's Social Security," this is what
she is talking about.
Today most couples in the U.S. are both working,
and with a few exceptions both are paying into
the Social Security system. When it comes time
to retire, a woman's own Social Security record
is often large enough that she is better off
receiving benefits on her own account, rather
than half of her husband's.
Social Security should award whichever of the
two amounts is greater.
If for some reason a husband's work record is
lower than his wife's, he can also retire on
"her" record if that will provide more income.
When one of a couple dies, if the survivor had
been receiving the smaller retirement income,
Social Security will adjust the survivor's
income to a maximum of 100% of the deceased
spouse's retirement income.
This should all happen automatically. Of course,
no system is perfect, and Social Security is
staffed by humans. If you have questions about
how Social Security survivor benefits have been
calculated, a Social Security representative can
be reached at (800) 772-1213.
Unless you have been designated Representative
Payee, you will not be able to call Social
Security someone else's behalf. Unless that
person is with you at the telephone to give the
Social Security representative permission to
speak with you, the representative is not
allowed to give you any information. Once the
beneficiary has given permission, the Social
Security representative will answer any
questions you may have about the account.
Social Security does not recognize Powers of
Attorney. If your older person is unable to
answer coherently and is not able to manage his
or her own funds, you may want to become
Representative Payee so that you can deal
directly with both Social Security and Medicare
whenever you need to.
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