Domestic partnership (lived together) of a man and woman for over 20 years, do I qualify for benefits? He passed away last month and we supported each other in every way, financially we bought a house (mortgage), cars, ect. for over 20 years.

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

You probably wouldn't qualify for survivor benefits on your domestic partner's record, but you may still want to consider filing an application if you meet the other eligibility requirements for widow's benefits in order to get a formal determination from Social Security (https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/handbook.04/handbook-0401.html). There are limited instances in which domestic partnerships confer eligibility for benefits to a surviving partner, but those apply almost exclusively to same-sex relationships (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0200305005).

Best, Jerry