Life Insurance✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 3/5
The Social Security 'blackout period' refers to the time during which:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
The blackout period is the gap in Social Security survivor benefits for a widow or widower. Benefits stop when the youngest child is no longer a dependent and resume when the surviving spouse reaches age 60 (or age 50 if disabled), assuming the spouse has not remarried in a way that ends eligibility. During this period, the surviving spouse is expected to provide for the family through work or other income. Insurance agents often use the blackout period to illustrate the need for life insurance to fill the income gap.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Social Security does not impose a retirement blackout after age 65; retirement benefits begin according to the claimant's chosen retirement age.
- C) The blackout period is a Social Security survivor concept, not an insurance claims or probate rule.
- D) The two-year requirement relates to SSDI eligibility after disability onset, not to the survivor blackout period.
Memory hook
Blackout = the benefits gap between child-rearing years and age 60.