Do You Qualify for Social Security Spouse’s Benefits?
Reading Time: 3 MinutesLast Updated: July 15, 2024
Social Security benefits are a crucial part of the retirement income for millions of Americans.
If you don’t have enough Social Security credits to get benefits on your own work record or your own benefit is small, you may be able to receive benefits as a spouse. Your spouse must be receiving benefits for you to get benefits on their work record. If your spouse does not receive retirement or disability, you’ll have to wait to apply on your spouse’s record.
In addition, to be eligible for spouse’s benefits, you must be one of the following:
- 62 years of age or older.
- Any age if you have a child who is younger than 16 in your care or has a disability and is entitled to benefits on your spouse’s record.
How the spouse’s benefit is determined
Your full spouse’s benefit could be up to one-half the amount your spouse is eligible to receive at their full retirement age. If you choose to receive your spouse’s benefits before you reach full retirement age, your payment will be permanently reduced.
Your spouse may have postponed or plan to postpone their retirement to increase their monthly benefit amount by earning delayed retirement credits. However, your maximum spouse’s benefit remains 50% of their full retirement age benefit, not their higher amount including delayed retirement credits. (Your benefit as a surviving spouse would be based on the higher amount.)
If you wait until you reach full retirement age to receive benefits, you’ll receive your full spouse’s benefit amount. You may also get your full spouse’s benefit if you are under full retirement age, but care for a child and one of the following applies:
- The child is younger than age 16.
- The child has a disability and is entitled to benefits on your spouse’s record.
Payments to family members do not decrease your spouse’s retirement or disability benefit.
If you get retirement and spouse’s benefits
If you’re eligible for retirement and spouse’s benefits, you must apply for both, and you’ll receive a combined benefit equaling the higher spouse’s amount.
This requirement is called “deemed filing” because when you apply for one benefit you are “deemed” to have applied for the other benefit.
If you receive retirement on your own record, we will pay that amount first. If your benefits as a spouse are higher than your own benefit, you will get a combination of benefits that equals the higher spouse’s benefit.
Consider this example: Sandy is eligible for a monthly retirement benefit of $1,000 and a spouse’s benefit of $1,250. If she waits for Social Security until her full retirement age, she will receive her own $1,000 retirement benefit. We will add $250 from her spouse’s benefit, for a total of $1,250 a month. Sandy only gets an additional spouse’s benefit because her own benefit is less than half her spouse’s full retirement age benefit.
How to apply online
Want to apply for your retirement or your spouse’s benefit or both? Are you at least 61 years and 9 months old? If you answered yes, visit our website to get started today. If you and your spouse both have a personal my Social Security account, you can view an estimate of the benefits you could receive based on your spouse’s record.
Divorced spouses can get benefits, too
Are you divorced from a marriage that lasted at least 10 years? You may be able to get benefits on your former spouse’s record. Our rules for divorced spouse’s benefits are slightly different. You can find out more by visiting our Family benefits page.
For more information about spouse’s benefits, please read our Retirement Benefits publication.
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Tags: General Information, retirement benefits, Social Security benefits
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Dawn Bystry, Associate Commissioner, Office of Strategic and Digital Communications
Deputy Associate Commissioner, Office of Strategic and Digital Communications
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Charles R.
I am 86 and my wife is 85. My benefit is a whole dollar amount each month, and is an odd number of dollars. My wife’s benefit, at half of mine, should be a whole number of dollars plus 50 cents. But it is fifty cents short.
That leaves us $6 short each year. Is this as it should be?
Dave
My 92 year old father in law has recently passed away and received his monthly SS check for years (at least 3 decades). He also had worked and paid in to the system for 40+ years. My mother in law is 89 years old and only worked outside of the home (paying in to the SS system minimally). They were married for 69 years. She has also collected a monthly SS check for years, but only a fraction of his. Now that he has passed, can she reapply to SS and receive her established portion plus the balance of his monthly portion, up to the total amount that he collected? Thank you in advance for your help.
Sandra J.
if my husbands social security is less than half of mine can he instead give his amount up and claim mine while we are both still living??
Hung B.
I have the following question:
I am 70 years of age and started collecting my social security when I turned 67. My wife is currently 61 and we plan for her to collect social security when she reaches 62.
Which of the following scenarios is possible?
1. At 62 she will apply to get her social security and the remaining of half of mine full retirement. In this case I understand she will collect as much as half of mine full retirement age amount minus warranty.
2. At 62 she will only apply to get only her social security, and will not apply to get half on my amount until het full retirement age. In this case from 62 she will only get whatever amount at 62, then at 67 she will get the additional amount to make it to be half of mine.
Please let me know.
Thanks in advance
Norelle S.
I am 81, I was married 14 years and then got a divorce. My husband has been married 3 more times. His last wife is getting half his benefits. Am I eligible for any of his benefits
T.Y.
Hi, Norelle. Since you were married to your former spouse for at least 10 years, you may be eligible for benefits as a divorced spouse. You cannot be eligible for a higher benefit on your own record. For more information about the eligibility for divorced spouse’s benefits, visit our Benefits Planner: Retirement | Benefits For Your Family | SSA. Hope this helps!
Melinda B.
I have been receiving my social security for 8 years I recently found out about the spousal benefits. My husband is FRA and has been receiving his benefits for a year and a half. My question is can I receive spousal benefits and if so, what do I have to do to receive them? Thank you
T.Y.
Hi, Melinda. Thank you for reading our blog. If you are eligible on your own record, we will pay that amount first. If you are also eligible for a higher amount as a spouse, you’ll get a combination of benefits that equals that higher amount. To find more information, visit Benefits Planner: Retirement | Benefits For Your Family | SSA. We hope this helps.
Richard D.
I currently recieve a civil service retirement and was told I could possibly claim part SS from my wifes SS retirement
T.Y.
Thank you for reading our blog, Richard. If you are eligible on your own record, we will pay that amount first. If you are also eligible for a higher amount as a spouse, you’ll get a combination of benefits that equals that higher amount. To find more information, visit Benefits Planner: Retirement | Benefits For Your Family | SSA. We hope this helps.
Janice
I am 64 years old and started receiving my SS payments at 62 years old. My husband is not receiving his SS payments. He’s waiting to his FRA.
My question since I have been receiving my SS benefit can I still be eligible to receive half of his SS benefit per the “spousal top off “ benefit?
He was the higher earner.
My understanding would be :
this is an hypothetical example if I am receiving $1000 and he will receive $3000 can my benefit be $1500? Half of his $3000.
We are trying to budget and would appreciate some clarification.
Thank you
Dawn
I have a question. My husband and I are both divorcées, who would collect survivor benefits? Will it be current couples or the ex’s?
T.Y.
Hi, Dawn. Thanks for reading our blog and for your question. A divorced spouse of a worker, who dies, could get benefits just the same as a surviving spouse, if their marriage lasted 10 years or more. The benefit amount paid to a surviving spouse and a surviving divorced spouse does not affect their benefit rates or that of any other survivors who can receive benefits on the worker’s record. You may be eligible for reduced surviving spouse’s benefits at age 60 (50 if you have a disability). For more information, visit If You Are the Survivor | SSA. We hope this information is helpful.