Widows and Widowers Living Alone on Social Security See Their Average Check Climb From $1,936 to $2,005 in January

$2,005. That is the Social Security Administration’s estimate of what the average widow or widower living alone will receive each month starting in January 2027, up $69 from $1,936 today.

The figure comes from the agency’s 2027 cost-of-living fact sheet, which breaks the 3.6% raise into averages for each major group of beneficiaries. For surviving spouses who no longer have a second income in the house, the increase is the main change to the household budget for the year ahead.

Where the $2,005 comes from

The fact sheet lists estimated average monthly benefits in January 2027, before and after the raise. Aged widows and widowers living alone go from $1,936 to $2,005. All retired workers go from $2,095 to $2,170. Aged couples who both receive benefits go from $3,238 to $3,355.

The gap between a surviving spouse and a retired couple is the part many families feel most. A household that collected about $3,355 a month as a couple can drop to roughly the survivor average after a death, because only one benefit continues. The fact sheet’s averages show that drop in plain numbers: the survivor figure is about 60% of the couple figure.

The 3.6% raise itself is set by formula. The Office of the Chief Actuary says the third-quarter average of the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers rose from 317.265 in 2025 to 328.746 in 2026. The broader consumer price index for all urban consumers was up 3.7% over the 12 months through September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

When the higher survivor check arrives

Survivor benefits follow the same payment calendar as retirement benefits. The date depends on the birth date of the worker whose record the benefit is paid on, which for a widow or widower is usually the late spouse.

The agency’s 2027 payment schedule puts January’s deposits on Jan. 13 for workers born on the 1st through the 10th, Jan. 20 for the 11th through the 20th, and Jan. 27 for the 21st through the 31st. Those are the first payments that include the raise.

Survivors who started collecting before May 1997, or who also receive Supplemental Security Income, are on the 3rd-of-the-month schedule. Because Jan. 3, 2027 is a Sunday and Jan. 1 is a holiday, their January payment arrives early, on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026.

December’s deposits, which the site laid out in its guides to the Dec. 9 and Dec. 16 payments and the Dec. 23 payment, are still paid at the 2026 amount.

How much a surviving spouse can receive

The average hides a wide range. According to the agency’s page on what survivor benefits pay, a surviving spouse can start at 71.5% of the deceased worker’s benefit and receives more the longer the claim is delayed. The share rises to more than 75% at 61, more than 80% at 63 and more than 90% at 65, and reaches up to 100% at full retirement age for survivor benefits, which is 66 to 67.

That means two surviving spouses whose late partners earned identical benefits can see very different checks depending on when they claimed. The 3.6% raise is applied on top of whatever amount each person already receives, so a larger benefit gets a larger dollar increase.

The same page notes a one-time lump-sum death payment of $255, which some spouses or minor children can receive.

Families who are new to survivor benefits can find the basics on the agency’s survivor benefits page, which notes that a funeral home usually reports a death to the agency, and that a spouse, divorced spouse, child or dependent parent may qualify.

Survivors who still work, and those on SSI

Younger surviving spouses who are still on the job face the earnings test. The agency’s COLA information page sets the 2027 limit at $25,560 for beneficiaries under full retirement age for the whole year, with $1 withheld for every $2 earned above that amount. In the year a beneficiary reaches full retirement age, the limit is $67,920, with $1 withheld for every $3 above it, and it stops applying the month that age is reached.

Surviving spouses with very low benefits and few assets may also qualify for Supplemental Security Income. The actuary’s SSI page sets the 2027 federal maximum at $1,029 a month for an individual, up from $994. SSI is reduced by countable income, which includes Social Security, so the two programs work together rather than stacking in full.

For those survivors, the raise shows up in two places on Dec. 31: the January SSI payment, moved up for the holiday, and, for anyone on the 3rd-of-the-month schedule, the January Social Security payment as well.

What comes out before the money lands

For most surviving spouses on Medicare, the Part B premium is deducted from the Social Security deposit. Medicare.gov lists the 2026 standard Part B premium at $202.90 a month, with a $283 annual deductible, and says the premium can change each year. The 2027 premium had not been posted there as of Nov. 5.

The agency handles Medicare enrollees’ notices on a later timeline. The same COLA page says people with a my Social Security account created by Nov. 18 can read their notice online in late November, and that the 2027 benefit amount for beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare is available in December through the mailed notice and the online Message Center.

The notice is the number to plan around. The fact sheet’s $2,005 is an average for a whole group, while the notice shows the exact deposit, after the Medicare premium, that will arrive in January.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: N Giovannucci – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons