{"id":12300,"date":"2025-03-24T20:07:15","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T20:07:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/?p=12300"},"modified":"2025-03-24T20:07:15","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T20:07:15","slug":"my-husband-died-recently-am-i-entitled-to-any-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/?p=12300","title":{"rendered":"My Husband Died Recently. Am I Entitled to Any Benefits?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"ScoreCard<\/p>\n

Dear Penny,<\/span><\/p>\n

My husband recently passed. I\u2019m not eligible for survivor benefits, but my son is. I was told by a friend I was eligible for widow benefits. I can\u2019t find any information on that. I\u2019m 54 and haven\u2019t worked outside the home most of our marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014 Surviving Widow<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Dear Widow,<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m sorry for your loss. And I\u2019m sorry I probably don\u2019t have good news for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your friend may be using a colloquial term for what the Social Security Administration calls \u201csurvivor benefits.\u201d There\u2019s no such thing, officially, as \u201cwidow benefits.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019re likely not eligible to receive survivor benefits because of your age. A\u00a0<\/span>surviving spouse<\/span><\/a> can receive Social Security benefits starting at age 60 (or 50 if they have a disability).<\/span><\/p>\n

To be eligible, your son must be under age 18 or living with a disability. If he\u2019s under age 16 (or any age and disabled) and you take care of him, you could also be eligible for survivors benefits of your own. If that\u2019s the case, and you were told you\u2019re ineligible, check again!<\/span><\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t already, you might also check whether your husband had a life insurance policy and made you the beneficiary. This should have been listed in his will if he had one. But, if not, you could also check with his last employer to see if they had a policy option for employees, search for his name and yours in your state\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>unclaimed property database<\/span>, and search the National Association of Insurance Commissioners\u2019 (NAIC)\u00a0<\/span>Life Insurance Policy Locator<\/span><\/a> online.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Dana Miranda is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance\u00ae and author of YOU DON\u2019T NEED A BUDGET. She writes <\/span><\/i>Healthy Rich<\/span><\/i><\/a>, a newsletter about how capitalism impacts the ways we think, teach and talk about money.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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