The period with no Social Security benefits for the surviving spouse is called the blackout period.

• A. Blackout period
• B. Waiting period
• C. Grace period
• D. Lapse period

Answer: (A)

After a spouse dies, there can be a gap where the surviving spouse isn’t receiving Social Security benefits. That gap is called the blackout period. It happens because survivor benefits generally aren’t payable until the survivor reaches a certain age (typically 60, or 50 if disabled) and because the survivor’s own retirement benefit may not be available yet, depending on age and rules. So for a period of time, there are no benefits payable to the survivor, hence the term “blackout.” The other terms—waiting period, grace period, lapse period—refer to different concepts in insurance and don’t describe this specific gap in Social Security benefits.