When Social Security was initially developed, it only paid retirement money to workers who were eligible. It was later revised to include benefits for spouses and survivors, which made it more of a family or insurance program, rather then only a retirement plan.

Regrettably, it is inevitable that many husbands and wives will find themselves widowed around their retirement. This is not only a massive loss emotionally, but can be an immense loss financially as well, particularly since the survivor will lose the income earned by the spouse that has died.

The Social Security survivor benefit was designed to ensure that the surviving spouse wouldn't lose all of their earnings when the first spouse dies. Actually, the survivor income is 100% of the spouse's income before he or she passed. Supposing that both spouses are at present receiving Social Security, if the spouse with the greater amount of Social Security passes away first, the spouse with the lower income will get a rise in her income. However if the spouse with the lower payment passes first, the surviving spouse's income will not modify.

There are some guidelines in order to be eligible for Social Security death benefits: The couple should have been married for more than 9 months before the spouse's death, unless his death was a result of an accident. Also, separated spouses may qualify for widow's income as long as they were married for minimum 10 years.

Widows can request for survivor benefits beginning at age 60, or age 50 if they are disabled. Just as with retirement and spousal benefits, the widow may not prefer to start collecting at age 60 because the benefit will be lowered for every month received before touching full retirement age. A widow can expect to get anywhere from 71.5% to 100% of her departed spouse's benefit based on how old she is when she starts receiving the survivor benefit.

It's useful to note that as a widow you will get the survivor benefit or your own income, whichever is more. So your benefit will go up if your spouse's benefit was more than your own, however you will still lose one benefit, so your total benefit from Social Security could be 1/3 to 1/2 less than it was before your spouse died.

An option to help optimize your total benefits considering your spouse passes before you attain full retirement age is to begin collecting widow's benefits as soon as your spouse passes (assuming you are at least age 60 or your are age 50 and crippled), then move to your own benefit once you attain your full retirement age. This will permit your own retirement benefits to keep on earning credits and therefore will raise your retirement benefit. Or, if the survivor benefit is considerably higher than your own benefit, you could request your own benefit early, then move to the survivor benefit when you reach full retirement age.

You may apply for Social Security widow benefits right away after a relative has passed. To do so, you can contact the Social Security Administration or visit the office nearby to you. It's important to know how Social Security survivor benefits operate so you can maximize your retirement income, particularly after the loss of a loved one.

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