What is Survivor benefits?

It is what ARE survivor benefits not what IS survivor benefits. In the US there are social security survivor benefits if a person dies who has paid into the social security system long enough to be insured. How long that is depends upon the age at the time of death from as little as two years (if under age 22) to ten years.

Benefits are paid to:

1. Widows or widowers who are age 60.

2. Widows or widowers who are ages 50 to 60 if severely disabled at the time of death or within 7 years of the death and who don't receive a higher disability benefit on their own SS account.

3. Children under age 18.

4. Children age 18 and over if full time high school students (benefits end with graduation or age 19 and 2 months - whichever comes first) or who became severely disabled before age 22. Any entitled child must be unmarried.

5. A parent of an entitled child under the age of 16. When the youngest child reaches age 16 the parent's benefit ends.

6. There is a one-time death benefit of $255 which is paid to a surviving living-with spouse. If no spouse then it can only be paid to a child who would be entitled on the account of the deceased in the month of death. Otherwise it is payable to no one.

The benefit amount itself is based upon the amount of SS taxes paid. High earnings=high benefit. Low earnings=low benefit.

No, what "are" survivor benefits. They are the part of the will that discusses what assets will be received by the remaining members of an estate.