8 Overlooked Social Security Benefits You Should Know About

Social Security Benefits: Social Security is commonly associated with retirement income, but its benefits extend beyond that. The Social Security Administration provides financial support to a variety of groups, including children, spouses, and individuals with disabilities.

8 Overlooked Social Security Benefits

1. Benefits to the spouse obtained through a current spouse

Social Security is well-known for offering spousal benefits. A spouse can receive up to half of the monthly benefit amount their partner is eligible for. This means that even if a spouse has never worked, they can still claim benefits.

Spousal benefits can be claimed starting at age 62. However, if you begin claiming benefits before reaching your full retirement age, the amount you receive will be reduced.

When Will You Receive Your Social Security Disability Insurance?

If an individual is taking care of a disabled child or a child under the age of sixteen who is receiving benefits from their spouse’s record, they may also be eligible for spousal benefits at any age.

Should you be eligible for both spouse and personal benefits, you will be paid the higher of the two benefit levels.

2. Spousal advantages through an ex-spouse

In spite of your divorce, you might still be eligible for spousal benefits. For you to be eligible for these advantages, every one of the following needs to be true:

• Your ex-spouse is entitled to receive Social Security benefits.
• You were married at least 10 years to your ex-spouse.
• You are unmarried now.
• You are at least 62 years old.
• The benefit that you are entitled to receive based on your own work is less than the benefit you would receive based on your ex-spouse’s work.

The amount of benefits your ex-husband or ex-wife receives is unaffected by your claim for spousal benefits as a divorced person. Additionally, it has no bearing on any benefits their current spouse might have gotten from a previous marriage.

3. Benefits for widows and widowers who survive

During their death, you may still be able to get up to 100% of their Social Security retirement benefits.

Most widows and widowers can start getting survivor benefits as early as age 60. For people who are disabled and got sick or hurt before or within seven years of the death of their spouse, benefits can start as early as age 50. You can also get survivor benefits if you are a widow or widower of any age who is caring for a disabled or under-16 child of a deceased worker.

Keep in mind that you won’t be able to get these benefits if you get married again before you turn 60 or 50 if you are disabled. Like with spousal benefits, if you start getting your own retirement benefits while still getting survivor benefits, you will get the higher amount.

4. Survivor benefits for surviving spouses who are divorced

If a divorced surviving spouse was married to their deceased ex-spouse for a minimum of ten years and is currently single, they may be eligible to receive survivor benefits based on that person’s earnings record.

A divorced surviving spouse must be at least 60 years old, or at least 50 if they have a disability, to start collecting survivor benefits, just like widows and widowers.

The only exception is if you are providing care for your child, who is under 16 and your former spouse’s natural or legally adopted child. Then, neither the minimum age requirement nor the 10-year length of marriage rule apply.

5. Benefits for children of survivors

Benefits for survivors don’t just go to spouses. Children can also get money from the record of a parent who has died.

What is the maximum Social Security benefit and how is it determined?

Children up to 18 or 19 years old who are still in full-time elementary or secondary school can get survivor benefits. If a child is disabled and doesn’t get better before they turn 22, they may get benefits after that age.

In some cases, stepchildren and grandchildren may also be able to get these benefits.

6. Survivor benefits for parents who are dependent

In the event that their child passes away, parents who were financially dependent on their offspring may be qualified for Social Security benefits.

You must fulfill a number of requirements in order to be qualified for Social Security Parent’s Benefits, including the following:

• The deceased worker must have enough work credits to qualify for Social Security benefits.
• You must be at least 62 years old and, in most cases, cannot have married after the worker’s death.
• You must have received at least one-half of your support from the deceased worker at certain points in time.
• You were the natural parent or became the legal adoptive parent or stepparent prior to the worker turning 16 years old.
• You are not eligible for a retirement benefit from Social Security that exceeds the parent’s benefit.

7. Benefits for disabilities

More than 8.3 million people get monthly benefits from Social Security’s Disability Insurance program. To be eligible for benefits, a person must be unable to work because of a medical condition that will last at least a year or kill them, and they must also have worked enough to be eligible for Social Security.

Part of the process for applying for Social Security Disability may require applicants to send in a lot of paperwork. People who are initially turned down for benefits can file an appeal.

Why Some Social Security Recipients Won’t Receive Benefit Checks in September

8. Earnings Supplemental Security Income

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program is run by the Social Security Administration, but it does not get its money from Social Security taxes. Instead, general tax money pays for SSI.

People who are blind or disabled, have a low income, or are 65 or older can get financial help from SSI. It helps people with basic needs like food, clothing, and housing by giving them cash. SSI benefits are different from Social Security benefits in that you don’t need to have worked in order to get them.