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Social Security Surviving Divorced Spouse Benefits Benefits

Program Description

These are benefits paid to the divorced spouse of a deceased worker who had earned enough work credits.

To qualify for this benefit program, you must meet all of the following requirements:

Be at least age 60
Be divorced from the deceased worker
Have been married to the deceased worker for at least 10 years
Not be entitled to a higher Social Security benefit on your own work record
Be unmarried (unless an exception applies).

Your Next Steps

The following information will lead you to the next steps to apply for this program.

Application Process

If you would like to find out if you may be eligible for any of the benefits SSA administers, visit http://best.ssa.gov.

Once you have completed the eligibility screening questionnaire, you will be provided with a list of benefits for which you may be eligible. Print this page for your records before going to the application site.

Once you know which benefits you can apply for, go to http://www.socialsecurity.gov/applyonline/ to apply online.

You can also call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY: 1-800-325-0778) for additional information about SSA benefits and for application information.

Program Contact Information

For more information on this and any SSA benefit, call:
1-800-772-1213 (TTY: 1-800-325-0778)

Visit our Publications page for detailed information about SSA programs and policies:
http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/