SWIFT Act

Key Points

• Disabled widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses would no longer need to be between ages 50 and 60 to get survivors benefits. They could receive full, unreduced benefits at any age once the change takes effect.
• Surviving parents currently lose child-in-care benefits when their child turns 16. This bill extends eligibility to age 18, or 19 if the child is a full-time high school student.
• The bill sets a new floor so survivors benefits cannot fall below 82.5 percent of the deceased spouse's full benefit amount, even if that spouse claimed early.
• People who delay claiming survivors benefits would earn a new credit that increases their monthly payment, similar to the delayed retirement credit already available for regular Social Security.
• Social Security would be required to mail surviving spouses an information booklet within 30 days of learning of a death, explaining how benefits work and how to maximize them.
• Extra income from these changes would not count against people applying for other assistance like SNAP, Medicaid, or housing aid, and all the changes would start January 1, 2027 if enacted.