Full Retirement Age for Survivors Born Between 1945 And 1956: 66 (En español)

The earliest a widow or widower can start receiving Social Security survivors benefits based on age is age 60.

If you start receiving survivors benefits at age

  • 60, you will get 71.5 percent of the monthly benefit because you will be getting benefits for an additional 72 months.
  • 62, you will get 81.0 percent of the monthly benefit because you will be getting benefits for an additional 48 months.
  • 65, you will get 95.3 percent of the monthly benefit because you will be getting benefits for an additional 12 months.

If you're receiving widows, widowers, or divorced widows or widowers benefits, you can switch to your own retirement benefit as early as age 62.

Reminder: Your full retirement age for retirement benefits may not match your full retirement age for survivors benefits.

How Your Social Security Survivors Benefit is Reduced
If you start getting benefits at age 1. The survivors benefit you will receive is reduced to 2.
60 71.5%
60 + 1 month 71.9
60 + 2 months 72.3
60 + 3 months 72.7
60 + 4 months 73.1
60 + 5 months 73.5
60 + 6 months 73.9
60 + 7 months 74.3
60 + 8 months 74.7
60 + 9 months 75.1
60 + 10 months 75.5
60 + 11 months 75.9
61 76.3
61 + 1 month 76.6
61 + 2 months 77.0
61 + 3 months 77.4
61 + 4 months 77.8
61 + 5 months 78.2
61 + 6 months 78.6
61 + 7 months 79.0
61 + 8 months 79.4
61 + 9 months 79.8
61 + 10 months 80.2
61 + 11 months 80.6
62 81.0
62 + 1 month 81.4
62 + 2 months 81.8
62 + 3 months 82.2
62 + 4 months 82.6
62 + 5 months 83.0
62 + 6 months 83.4
62 + 7 months 83.8
62 + 8 months 84.2
62 + 9 months 84.6
62 + 10 months 85.0
62 + 11 months 85.4
63 85.8
63 + 1 month 86.1
63 + 2 months 86.5
63 + 3 months 86.9
63 + 4 months 87.3
63 + 5 months 87.7
63 + 6 months 88.1
63 + 7 months 88.5
63 + 8 months 88.9
63 + 9 months 89.3
63 + 10 months 89.7
63 + 11 months 90.1
64 90.5
64 + 1 month 90.9
64 + 2 months 91.3
64 + 3 months 91.7
64 + 4 months 92.1
64 + 5 months 92.5
64 + 6 months 92.9
64 + 7 months 93.3
64 + 8 months 93.7
64 + 9 months 94.1
64 + 10 months 94.5
64 + 11 months 94.9
65 95.3
65 + 1 month 95.6
65 + 2 months 96.0
65 + 3 months 96.4
65 + 4 months 96.8
65 + 5 months 97.2
65 + 6 months 97.6
65 + 7 months 98.0
65 + 8 months 98.4
65 + 9 months 98.8
65 + 10 months 99.2
65 + 11 months 99.6
66  2. 100
  1. If your birthday is on the 1st of the month, we figure your benefit as if your birthday were in the previous month.
  2. If your spouse started receiving retirement benefits before their full retirement age, we cannot pay you the full retirement age benefit amount from their record. Generally, if the person that died was receiving reduced benefits, we base your survivors benefit on that amount.

Chart of survivors retirement benefits and reductions based on different years of birth.