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Social Security Surviving Divorced Spouse Benefits
To be eligible 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 an equal or higher Social Security benefit on your own work record.
- Be unmarried (unless an exception applies).
If you would like to find out if you may be eligible for any of Social Security's benefit programs, use the U.S. Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool.
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.
Widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses cannot apply online for survivor’s benefits. For application information, please visit the How To Apply page.
Visit SSA's Publications Page for detailed information about SSA programs and policies.
You may also contact Social Security by phone at:
1-800-772-1213 (TTY: 1-800-325-0778)
