I have been hearing a lot about Widow Benefits. My Husband passed away in Dec 2011. I am now receiving his SS being that his was higher than mine. Could I be receiving Widows Benefits as well? I have heard that some are receiving both SS and Widows Benefits. Very curious, please help me here...Thank you in advanced, Judy

Hi Judy,

I'm sorry for your loss.

It sounds like what you are currently receiving is widow's benefits, at least in part. The surviving member of a couple generally receives the higher of their 2 benefit rates. If the survivor is already receiving their own benefits when their spouse with a higher benefit dies, the survivor can be paid the difference in their rates as a widow(er) benefit. That benefit is then added to the survivor's own benefit to bring their combined rate up to the higher of their 2 rates. You may want to double check with Social Security to see if this is what happened in your case.

Best, Jerry