A retired couple on SS simply gets their benefits cut if one of them dies. The ‘death benefit’ is a token 250$. In many cases the survivor gets exactly half as much money as the couple would have.
The spouse of a young worker can also receive benefits assuming they have children. But, that’s very much a social program effectively independent of how much money the worker had paid into SS though not their income.
The spouse of a young worker can also receive benefits assuming they have children. But, that’s very much a social program effectively independent of how much money the worker had paid into SS though not their income.