Projections
Save/Print Open, save, or print file as PDF  Share Send an email Send to Facebook Send to Twitter  Subscribe Get e-mail updates

Current Law Projections

  1. Early Eligibility
    Age Beneficiaries
    in 2050

  2. Oldest Old
    in 2050
  3. Scheduled
    vs. Payable
    Benefits
  4. Spousal-Only
    Beneficiaries
    in 2050
  5. Survivor-Only
    Beneficiaries
    in 2050
  6. Women & Dual
    Entitlement,
    2025–2080
  7. Why Will
    Poverty Decline
    for Beneficiaries?

Survivor-Only Beneficiaries in 2050

Released: October 2012
Next expected update: Spring 2014

DEFINITION: Survivor-only beneficiaries are individuals who did not work enough to qualify for Social Security retirement benefits on their own earnings records, but do qualify for 100 percent of their deceased spouse's monthly benefit at full retirement age or reduced (by up to 28.5 percent) benefits starting at age 60.

In 2050, we project that:

  • 87 percent of survivor-only beneficiaries aged 60 or older will be women.
  • The poverty rate will be higher for survivor-only beneficiaries compared with all beneficiaries aged 60 or older.
  • More than half of survivor-only beneficiaries will be aged 80 or older, making them among the oldest old of all beneficiaries.
  • Survivor-only beneficiaries will be disproportionately in low-earning households.
  • Survivor-only beneficiaries will earn some credits by 2050, but not enough to qualify for benefits on their own records.a
Population Characteristics
Percentage with characteristic
Pie chart series linked to data in table format.
Lifetime Shared Earnings
Percentage of survivor-only beneficiaries aged 60 or older in quintile
Bar chart showing 57% in lowest quintile, 17% in second lowest quintile, 8% in middle quintile, 10% in second highest quintile, and 8% in highest quintile.
Age Group
Percent of beneficiaries in group
Bar chart linked to data in table format.
Median Credits Earned
Number
Bar chart linked to data in table format.
a. To be fully insured for Social Security retirement benefits, a worker must have 10 years (or 40 credits) of earnings.
SOURCE: Modeling Income in the Near Term, Version 6 (MINT6) microsimulation model using 2011 Trustees Report intermediate assumptions.