Government help for widows comes from several federal programs at once, and which ones apply depends on your age, your income, and whether your late spouse was a veteran. The largest source of ongoing support for most surviving spouses is Social Security Survivors Benefits, which can replace up to 100% of your late spouse’s benefit. On top of that, you may qualify for a one-time Social Security death payment, VA compensation or pension, Medicare on your spouse’s work record, and needs-based programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and TANF. These benefits apply to surviving spouses of any gender.
Social Security Survivor Benefits
Social Security pays monthly survivor benefits based on your deceased spouse’s earnings record. The more your spouse paid into Social Security, the larger your potential benefit.
Who Qualifies
You can collect survivor benefits at age 60, or at 50 if you have a qualifying disability. The marriage generally must have lasted at least nine months, and you must not have remarried before 60.1Social Security Administration. Who Can Get Survivor Benefits Age and marital status do not matter if you are caring for the deceased’s child who is under 16 or has a disability.2Social Security Administration. Survivors Benefits
Surviving divorced spouses can also qualify if the marriage lasted at least 10 years. Unmarried children of the deceased can collect if they are 17 or younger, 18 to 19 and still in elementary or secondary school full-time, or any age if their disability began before 22.1Social Security Administration. Who Can Get Survivor Benefits
How Much You Get
Your payment amount depends on when you start. At your full retirement age for survivor benefits (between 66 and 67, based on your birth year), you receive 100% of your late spouse’s basic benefit. Claim at 60 and you get 71.5%. Waiting produces a higher share; at 63, for example, you might receive over 80%.3Social Security Administration. What You Could Get From Survivor Benefits
A surviving spouse caring for the deceased’s child under 16 receives 75% at any age, and eligible children on the record receive 75% as well. When several family members collect on one record, SSA applies a family maximum that generally caps total payments at roughly 150% to 180% of the worker’s benefit.4Social Security Administration. Formula For Family Maximum Benefit
Remarriage and Work
Remarrying at 60 or later does not affect your survivor benefit. Remarrying before 60 (or 50 if you are disabled) ends eligibility, unless that later marriage itself ends by death, divorce, or annulment.5Social Security Administration. Effect Of Remarriage – Widowers Benefits
If you work while collecting survivor benefits before full retirement age, an earnings test applies. In 2026, you can earn up to $24,480 with no reduction; above that, SSA withholds $1 for every $2 over. In the year you reach full retirement age, the limit rises to $65,160 and the reduction becomes $1 for every $3 over.6Social Security Administration. Exempt Amounts Under The Earnings Test After full retirement age, there is no earnings limit.
Switching Between Your Benefit and Your Spouse’s
If you qualify for both a survivor benefit and your own retirement benefit, you do not have to take them together. You could claim a reduced survivor benefit at 60 and switch to your own retirement later if it grows larger, or claim your own first and switch to the survivor benefit at full retirement age. This is one of the rare cases where taking one Social Security benefit early does not lock you out of the other. If you are already collecting your own retirement, ask SSA whether a survivor benefit would pay more.2Social Security Administration. Survivors Benefits
The $255 Lump-Sum Death Payment
Social Security also pays a one-time $255 death benefit to an eligible surviving spouse, or to eligible children if there is no surviving spouse. The amount is small and has not changed in decades, but you must apply within two years of the death to collect it.7Social Security Administration. Lump-Sum Death Payment Many people skip it because of the amount; there is no reason to.
VA Benefits If Your Spouse Was a Veteran
If your late spouse served in the military, the Department of Veterans Affairs runs three separate programs that may help: a monthly compensation benefit, a needs-based pension, and a burial allowance. Education benefits are also available in some cases.
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
DIC is a tax-free monthly payment for surviving spouses, children, and parents of service members who died in the line of duty, died from a service-connected condition, or died while receiving certain VA medical treatment. You generally must have been married to the veteran for at least one year or had a child together.8U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. About VA DIC For Spouses, Dependents, And Parents
The basic DIC rate for a surviving spouse in 2026 is $1,699.36 per month, effective December 1, 2025.9Veterans Affairs. Current DIC Rates For Spouses And Dependents Extra amounts apply if you have dependent children or need help with daily living.
Remarriage does not automatically end DIC. You keep the benefit if you remarried on or after December 16, 2003, at age 57 or older, or on or after January 5, 2021, at age 55 or older.8U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. About VA DIC For Spouses, Dependents, And Parents
Survivors Pension
Survivors Pension is a separate, needs-based benefit for low-income surviving spouses (who have not remarried) and unmarried children of wartime veterans. It does not require a service-connected death, but the veteran must have served during a recognized wartime period with a discharge other than dishonorable. Service-length requirements depend on whether the veteran entered active duty before September 8, 1980, or after September 7, 1980.10Veterans Benefits Administration. VA Survivors Pension Benefit11Veterans Affairs. Eligibility For Veterans Pension
As of December 1, 2025, the net worth limit is $163,699, which includes personal property other than your home, car, and most household furnishings.12Federal Register. Veterans And Survivors Pension And Parents DIC Cost-Of-Living Adjustments The maximum annual pension for a surviving spouse with no dependents is $11,699, and it can be higher if you qualify for housebound or aid and attendance benefits.13Veterans Affairs. Current Survivors Pension Benefit Rates Your countable income reduces the pension dollar for dollar, so the payment fills the gap between your income and the maximum.
Burial Allowance
The VA helps cover funeral and interment costs for eligible veterans. For deaths on or after October 1, 2025, the maximum burial allowance for a non-service-connected death is $1,002, with another $1,002 available for the plot. For a service-connected death, the burial allowance is up to $2,000. If you are listed as the veteran’s spouse in VA records, the VA may pay eligible amounts automatically once it receives notice of death, without a separate claim.14Veterans Affairs. Veterans Burial Allowance And Transportation Benefits
Education Benefits
Two VA programs help survivors pay for school. The Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance program (Chapter 35, or DEA) offers up to 36 months of benefits if the veteran died of a service-connected disability or had a permanent and total service-connected disability at death; the full-time institutional rate is currently $1,574 per month.15Veterans Affairs. Chapter 35 Rates For Survivors And Dependents The Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship provides Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to spouses and children of service members who died in the line of duty on active duty after September 10, 2001; it covers full tuition and fees at public in-state schools plus a housing allowance and books stipend, with tuition at private or out-of-state schools capped at $29,920.95 for the 2025–2026 year. If you qualify for both, you must pick one, and the choice is irrevocable. Spouses who remarry lose Fry Scholarship eligibility.16Veterans Benefits Administration. VA Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship Fact Sheet
Health Coverage After a Spouse’s Death
At 65, you can qualify for premium-free Medicare Part A based on your late spouse’s work record even if your own record falls short of the 40-quarter requirement, provided your spouse worked long enough. Part B, which covers doctor visits and outpatient care, still requires a monthly premium.
If you lost employer coverage through your spouse when they died, you may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period to sign up for Medicare Part B outside the normal window. Missing that window can trigger late-enrollment penalties that raise your premium permanently, so move quickly.
Medicaid, jointly run by the federal government and each state, covers free or low-cost health care for people with limited income. Rules vary by state, but Medicaid can pay for things Medicare does not, including long-term nursing home care. Many states also offer Medicare Savings Programs that pay Medicare premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance for people with low incomes.
Food and Cash Assistance
A sudden drop in household income after a spouse’s death makes many widows newly eligible for SNAP. In 2026, a single-person household can qualify with gross monthly income up to $1,696 and net monthly income (after deductions for housing, medical costs, and similar expenses) up to $1,305.17USDA Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility If you are 60 or older, the asset limit is $4,500 rather than the standard $3,000.
If you have dependent children and very limited income, TANF provides cash assistance for basic living expenses. Each state runs its own program with different benefit levels and eligibility rules, and federal law caps TANF cash assistance for families with an adult recipient at five years over a lifetime. It can serve as a short-term bridge while survivor claims are processed.
How These Benefits Are Taxed
Social Security survivor benefits follow the same tax rules as regular Social Security retirement benefits: depending on your total income, up to 85% of your payments may be subject to federal income tax. VA benefits are treated differently. Both DIC and Survivors Pension payments are completely tax-free.8U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. About VA DIC For Spouses, Dependents, And Parents18Veterans Benefits Administration. VA Survivors Pension Benefit SNAP benefits are also not taxable. That difference matters when budgeting; the spending power of a $1,699 DIC payment is higher than the same-size Social Security payment for someone with taxable income.
How to Apply
Social Security
You cannot apply for survivor benefits online. Call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or go to your local Social Security office. An appointment is not required, but scheduling one can shorten your wait.19Social Security Administration. Form SSA-10 – Information You Need To Apply For Widows Benefits Apply promptly: for some survivor claims, SSA pays benefits from the date you apply rather than the date of death.2Social Security Administration. Survivors Benefits
Bring the deceased’s Social Security number, the death certificate, your birth certificate, and your marriage certificate. For dependent children, bring their Social Security numbers and birth certificates. A surviving divorced spouse should also bring the divorce decree.
VA
For DIC and Survivors Pension, file VA Form 21P-534EZ, which covers both programs plus any accrued benefits the veteran was owed at death.20Veterans Affairs. About VA Form 21P-534EZ You will need the veteran’s discharge papers (DD-214), the death certificate, and your marriage certificate. For Survivors Pension, also gather your income and asset records.
You can file a VA claim on your own, but an accredited Veterans Service Organization representative can help at no charge. VSOs are trained in VA paperwork, can catch errors that slow claims, and often identify benefits survivors did not know they qualified for. Appoint one using VA Form 21-22.21Veterans Affairs. Get Help From A VA Accredited Representative Or VSO