Life Insurance✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 3/5
In the Social Security survivor benefit program, the term blackout period refers to the time:
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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 survivor benefits that occurs when the youngest child reaches age 16 (ending the widow(er)'s child-in-care benefits) until the surviving spouse reaches age 60 and becomes eligible for survivor retirement benefits. During this gap, no benefits are payable, which is a major planning concern for survivor income - the subject of objective LIFE-II.H.2. Understanding this gap drives the life insurance need.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) There is no automatic waiting gap between death and the first payment; the blackout occurs years later.
- C) Benefits are not paid at a permanently reduced rate during the blackout; no benefits are paid at all.
- D) The lump-sum death benefit is a small one-time payment and is not what the blackout period describes.
Memory hook
Blackout = the benefit desert between child-raising years and age 60. Life insurance fills the gap.