Social Security Survivor Benefits - Who qualifies for spousal, widow and divorced-spouse payments, how much you can expect, when to switch to the larger check, and worked examples you can follow #1012574

Your spouse has died, or your marriage ended years ago, or your husband is about to retire, and now three Social Security payments with three different sets of rules stand between you and a clear answer. Whose record pays you? How much is it? And do you take it now or wait? Social Security Survivor Benefits is a plain-English, worked-example guide to the payments that sit on someone else's earnings record: the spousal payment, the divorced-spouse payment and the survivor (widow and widower) payment. Unlike a book that debates when to claim your own retirement at 62 or 70, it explains who qualifies, how each amount is figured, and how and when to switch from one check to another, with fill-in tables you can complete for your own situation. Inside, you'll learn: This is education, not advice, and every rule and dollar figure is flagged as something to confirm with the Social Security Administration. But by the last page you will know what to ask, what to bring and what your own numbers might look like.