I am a widow and have not worked for many years. Can I get benefits?

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I am a widow. I have not worked for many years, but I am disabled. Can I get Social Security disability benefits?

Answering your question.

You may qualify for disability benefits in one of three different ways:

• Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) on your own work record
• Disabled Widow’s Benefits (based on your deceased spouse’s work)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) if your income and assets are low

Let’s go through each one.

SSDI — Based on Your Own Work History

If you worked in the past and paid into Social Security, you may qualify for SSDI — even if you haven’t worked recently.
To get SSDI, you must:

• Have enough work credits (usually about 5 of the last 10 years)
• Be “insured” under Social Security rules
• Be disabled and unable to work full-time for at least 12 months

But here’s the problem: If you haven’t worked in a long time, you may no longer be “insured.” So SSDI might not be an option for you unless you worked enough and recently.

Disabled Widow’s Benefits (also called DWB)

Here’s the good news:

 If you’re a widow and your spouse worked and paid into Social Security, you may qualify for benefits based on their record.

To qualify for Disabled Widow’s Benefits:

• You must be between ages 50 and 59
• You must have become disabled within 7 years after your spouse died (or within 7 years of when you stopped receiving survivor benefits for a child)
• Your spouse must have worked long enough under Social Security
• You must meet Social Security’s definition of disability
• You can’t have remarried before age 50 (unless that marriage ended)

What if your spouse died many years ago?
You still might qualify — especially if you were getting survivor benefits for raising a child and became disabled within 7 years after that ended.

SSI (Supplemental Security Income)

If:

• You don’t have enough work credits for SSDI,
• You don’t qualify for Disabled Widow’s Benefits,
• And you have little to no income and savings,

…then you may qualify for SSI.

SSI doesn’t require any work history, but it’s only for people with low income and few assets (less than $2,000 for a single person, or $3,000 for a couple).

How Much Would You Get?
If you qualify for Disabled Widow’s Benefits, you could receive up to 71.5% of your spouse’s full benefit amount.

If you qualify for SSI, the federal amount in 2025 is:
$943/month for an individual

Some states add extra money

If you qualify for SSDI on your own record, the amount depends on what you earned during your working years.

Simple Summary:

SSDI (your own work)
Only if you worked and paid into Social Security and are still “insured”

Disabled Widow’s Benefits
Yes — if you’re 50–59, disabled, and your spouse worked

SSI (need-based)
Yes — if you’re disabled and have low income/assets

What You Should Do Next:

• Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 and ask about widow’s benefits and/or SSI
• Apply online at ssa.gov or go to your local office
• Gather documents like:
  • Your spouse’s death certificate
  • Your marriage certificate
  • Medical records
  • Your income and bank information
  • You can also contact a disability attorney to help you through the process — they don’t charge anything upfront.