You live in Houston Texas and your wife wants you to be sixty percent beneficiary and our two adult children twenty percent beneficiary each How can you change this to where you get 100 percent?

If your husband or wife dies, you may wonder if you can receive Social Security benefits based on your spouse’s contribution to Social Security. This is especially important if your spouse made more money than you, or if your spouse was the sole earner and you did not work. Many worry that if they cannot receive Social Security based on their spouse’s earnings, they may not be able to get Social Security.

For most people, here is what you need to know to answer the question whether you can get Social Security survivors’ benefits after your spouse dies. You have to be at least 50 years old and be found disabled by Social Security. There are additional requirement, such as the duration of the marriage, or the disability starting within 7 years of the spouses death.