Your widow or widower can receive: reduced benefits as early as age 60 or full benefits at full retirement age or older. benefits as early as age 50 if they're disabled AND their disability started before or within seven years of your death.
https://www.ssa.gov/planners/survivors/onyourown2.html
•Your widow or widower may be able to receive full benefits at full retirement age. The full retirement age for survivors is age 66 for people born in 1945-1956 and will gradually increase to age 67 for people born in 1962 or later. Reduced widow or widower benefits can be received as early as age 60.
https://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/how-long-do-you-have-to-married-to-receive-survivo-217608.html
Best Answer: If the couple is married when the worker dies, the widow/er qualifies, regardless of how long they were married. If they divorce, they have to be married for 10 years for the widow/er to receive benefits. Rules are no different for common law marriages, but you must prove that you were actually married, which can be difficult with a common law marriage. Source(s): http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/ssa.... James · 7 years ago.
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100624110216AAKwJCV
Widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses cannot apply online for survivors benefits. If they want to apply for disability benefits on your record, they should contact Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 to request an appointment.
https://www.ssa.gov/planners/survivors/onyourown2.html
To prove a common law marriage to Social Security so that you'll be eligible for dependents or survivors benefits, one of the following must be provided. 1  If you are both alive, then you must both provide statements that affirm your marriage and you must provide a statement from a blood relative of each of you.
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/common-law-marriage-social-security-dependents-survivor-benefits.html
You probably know people who are receiving Social Security survivors benefits because they're a widow or widower. At present, there are about 5 million widows and widowers receiving monthly Social Security benefits based on their deceased spouse's earnings record.
https://www.ssa.gov/planners/survivors/onyourown2.html
You can receive benefits as a divorced spouse on your ex-spouse's Social Security record, even if he has remarried and his current wife is collecting benefits based on his record. • You must have been married to your ex-spouse for at least 10 years. • You must be at least 62 years old. However, if your ex-spouse is deceased and you are currently unmarried, you may collect benefits as early as age 60 as a surviving divorced spouse. If he is deceased and you are disabled, you can collect benefits as early as age 50. • Your ex-spouse must be eligible for benefits.
http://www.wiserwomen.org/index.php?id=686
In order to qualify for Social Security spousal benefits, you must be at least 62 years old and your husband must also be collecting his own benefits. Additionally, if you are the higher earner, your husband can apply to collect spousal benefits based on your work record.
http://www.wiserwomen.org/index.php?id=686
The requirements for common law marriage vary between the states, but all states have these criteria in common: you both must have the intent to be married and the legal capability to marry. Most states, but not all, also allow require you to live together.
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/common-law-marriage-social-security-dependents-survivor-benefits.html
If you live in a state that doesn’t permit common law marriages, a common law marriage cannot be established, no matter how long you live with your partner. However, if you established a common law marriage in a state that allows them, and move later, any state you move to must acknowledge that marriage.
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/common-law-marriage-social-security-dependents-survivor-benefits.html
how many years do you have to be married to collect widows benefits
You have to be married for 10 years to collect widows benefits.  