Social Security Benefits
Social Security has four types of benefits you can apply for if you meet the eligibility requirements.
Retirement
This benefit gives you a monthly income when you reach an eligible retirement age or reduce your number of work hours. It would be best to plan your retirement using the Social Security retirement table to calculate the monthly percentage you can receive.
How to Apply for Social Security Retirement?
You can apply for the retirement benefit online or at the nearest Social Security office. During your application, you will be asked for the following information:
- Social Security number.
- Place of birth.
- Names of your employers for the last two years.
- Dates you worked for those employers.
- Social Security number of your spouse or ex-spouse.
- Date of birth of your spouse or ex-spouse.
- Date of marriage or divorce, as applicable.
- The place where the wedding took place.
- Routing number and bank account number where the direct deposit will be made.
- Name of the children eligible to receive the benefit.
Requirements to Apply for the Social Security Pension
Although any adult 18 years or older, who has worked and paid Social Security taxes, can apply for the retirement benefit, the percentage you will receive will be reduced if you are under 62.
To apply for Social Security benefits at age 62, you need:
- Social Security card.
- Original birth certificate.
- Proof of citizenship or legal immigrant status if you were not born in the United States.
- Copy of the military license if you were in the service before 1968.
- Copy of the W-2 form or your tax return for the year before the application.
Social Security Retirement Table
You can calculate the percentage of benefits you can receive based on your age at the time you apply. Here’s a summary of the Social Security retirement table if you were born in 1960 or later.
|
Age |
Wage Earner |
Spouse |
|
62 |
70% |
32.5% |
|
63 |
75% |
35% |
|
64 |
80% |
37.5% |
|
65 |
86.7% |
41.7% |
|
66 |
93.3% |
45.8% |
|
67 |
100% |
50% |
Remember that you can apply for Social Security benefits as a spouse or ex-spouse. You can consult the Social Security benefits calculator to see the complete table according to your birth year.
Survivor
As a surviving family member, you can get Social Security benefits after the death of your loved one. You can claim the benefits if you are the deceased’s spouse, child, or parent.
What Happens to Social Security Wwhen a Person Dies?
If your family member has died, you should notify Social Security immediately. To do this, you can give the Social Security number to the funeral home so they can handle the reporting. This procedure cannot be done online; the funeral home is generally responsible for issuing the report.
You can also report the death yourself by calling 1-800-772-1213 and pressing 7 for service in Spanish. The service hours of the telephone line are from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm, working from Monday to Friday.
How Mmuch Does Social Security Pay for Death?
There is a benefit that allows you to receive a lump sum payment for the death of your family member for $255. This benefit can be claimed by the spouse or children of the deceased if they meet the following requirements:
- The spouse was living with the worker at the time of the worker’s death.
- The spouse was not living with the worker at the time of the worker’s death but was receiving other benefits under the worker’s record or became entitled to receive them upon the worker’s death.
However, if no spouse can make a claim, the worker’’s children are entitled to receive the benefit if, during the month of the worker’s death, their children received other benefits under their record or obtained that right at the time of their death.
If the worker’’s spouse or children were not receiving benefits at the time of death, they must apply two years after death.
How to Claim Social Security of my Deceased Husband?
If you were receiving benefits under your spouse’s record at the time of your spouse’’s death, Social Security will make the change automatically upon receipt of the death report.
On the other hand, if you did not receive benefits, you must fill out the SSA-10 form and send the necessary documentation by mail, such as proof of the worker’s death, birth, and marriage certificates.
If you are receiving disability or retirement benefits on your record, you should also fill out the SSA-10 form to see if you can increase your help as the deceased’s spouse.
What is the Maximum Amount that Social Security Pays in Death?
The maximum monthly benefits you can receive per family ranges from 150% to 180%. If the total sum of the benefits of each beneficiary member exceeds the limit, they will be reduced proportionally.
Disability
Social Security Disability Insurance is one of two types of benefits offered for disability. This is responsible for paying benefits to the insured person if they meet the requirement of suffering from an illness with an expected duration of at least one year or that may end in the person’s death. Social Security Disability Insurance also includes benefits for eligible family members.
To be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, you must have at least 40 credits and be disabled. Partial or temporary disabilities do not qualify for these benefits.
During the application process, Social Security will assess whether you have a disabling condition by applying this questionnaire:
- Are you working?
- Is your illness severe?
- Is your condition on the list of disabling conditions?
- Can you do the work you did before?
- Can you do other types of work?
List of Social Security Disabling Conditions
Some of the medical conditions that appear on Social Security’s list of disabling conditions are:
- Neurological conditions: cerebral palsy, chronic migraine, neuropathy, seizures, polio, stroke, among others.
- Respiratory conditions: asthma, lung transplantation, pulmonary tuberculosis, sleep apnea, cystic fibrosis, among others.
- Conditions of the immune system: lupus, multiple sclerosis, Guillain Barré syndrome, among others.
See the complete listing of Social Security medical conditions to verify your eligibility.
Requirements to Apply for Social Security Disability Insurance
The documents you can submit to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance are as follows:
- Birth certificate.
- If you were not born in the United States, proof of citizenship or legal immigrant status.
- United States military service discharge papers if you served before 1968.
- Copy of the W-2 form or your self-employment tax return for the previous year.
- Evidence of your medical condition, such as medical records and test results.
- Proof that you received another temporary benefit, such as workers’ compensation.
How Do I Know if I Wwas Approved for Social Security Disability Insurance?
Social Security will inform you of the application decision in a letter sent by mail. The response period is between three and six months. You can also check the status of your application by logging into your account in my Social Security or calling 1-800-772-1213 and pressing 7 to receive assistance in Spanish. Telephone service hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
How Mmuch Does Social Security Disability Insurance Pay?
The amount you will receive if your application is approved depends on your work history and covered income, which is the amount of Social Security tax you have paid during your period as an active worker. The maximum amount you can get is $914 per month.
Can I Work if I Receive Social Security Disability Insurance?
If you get Social Security Disability Insurance, you can work if you don’t get more than $1,470 a month or $2,460 if your condition is blindness. If your monthly earnings exceed these amounts, your Social Security payments will end.
Supplemental Security Income
This program is another of the benefits you can receive for disability. Unlike Social Security Disability Insurance, it is aimed at adults and children with disabling conditions whose income and resource capacity is below the established limits. Also, you may receive this benefit if you don’t have a disabling medical condition but meet the low-income and resource requirements.
What Aare the Eligibility Criteria for Supplemental Security Income?
To apply for this benefit as an adult, you need the following:
- Be 65 or older, blind, or have a disabling medical condition.
- Have limited income and resources.
- Be a citizen or native of the United States. Some non-citizens may benefit.
- Reside in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia or the Northern Mariana Islands.
To request the benefit for a child, you need the following:
- Be under 18 and have a disabling medical condition that severely limits your daily activities for at least one year or could result in death.
- Living in a home with limited income and resources.
What is the Maximum Income I must Have to Apply for Supplemental Security Income?
To be eligible for Supplemental Security Income, your resources, and income must not be more than:
- Wages or self-employment income: less than $1,913 per month if applied for by an individual or less than $2,827 if applied for by a couple.
- Pension income: less than $934 if requested by an individual or less than $1,391 if requested by a couple.
- Resources: less than $2,000 total if applying for an individual, or less than $3,000 total if applying for a couple.
How to Apply for Supplemental Security Income?
You can apply for Supplemental Security Income by making an appointment at 1-800-772-1213 and pressing 7 to receive service in Spanish. You will need to provide the following information:
- Full name
- Birthdate
- Social Security number
- Postal Code
- Phone number
You can also apply online. However, you will only be able to complete the application in English.
