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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Robert E.
Both My wife and I get Social Security. She gets approximately 1/3 of what I do. Should she be getting Spousal benefits to equal 50% of what I do?
If so who should I talk to to correct this?
S.D.
Hi, Robert. Thanks for reading our blog and for your question. To speak with a representative about spouse’s benefits, your wife can call us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. If her benefits as a spouse are higher than her own retirement benefits, she may get a combination of benefits equaling the higher spouse’s amount. Your wife’s combined benefit may be less than half your full retirement age benefit if she started receiving her own benefit before her full retirement age. Also, her spouse’s benefits do not include any delayed retirement credits you may have earned. If you and your wife both have a personal my Social Security account, you can view an estimate of the benefits she could receive based on your earnings history. We hope this helps.
Roger S.
I receive full social security. I am 71. My wife is 63 and still works. How does the spouse benefit work in our case? Will she collect 50% of what I get now? And I’ll still get my full benefit?
S.D.
Hi, Roger. Thanks for reading our blog and for your questions. Several factors affect your wife’s Social Security benefits, including her earnings from work. Since she is younger than full retirement age, her earnings limit in 2024 is $22,320. Once she reaches her full retirement age, there is no limit on her earnings. To learn more, visit our Receiving Benefits While Working page.
The decision on when to apply for benefits is a personal one. We encourage your wife to sign in to or create a personal my Social Security account and review her Social Security Statement. She’ll see how much she’ll get in retirement benefits when she applies at different ages. For each month she delays her benefits until age 70, she’ll increase her benefit amount by earning Delayed Retirement Credits.
In addition to her benefit amount, our Retirement Planner discusses other factors she should consider, including spouse’s benefits. If she is at least full retirement age when she starts getting spouse’s benefits, the amount will be half your full retirement age benefit. Any spouse’s benefit she receives will not reduce your benefit amount. For more information, visit our Benefits for Spouses page. If your wife is eligible for retirement and spouse’s benefits, she must apply for both, and she’ll receive a combined benefit equaling the higher spouse’s amount. This requirement is called “deemed filing” because when she applies for one benefit she is “deemed” to have also applied for the other benefit. If you and your wife both have a personal my Social Security account, you can view an estimate of the benefits she could receive based on your earnings history.
When your wife is are ready to apply for benefits, the most convenient way is to use our online application. We hope this helps.
Pat M.
My spouse plans to start collecting next year at 70yrs old and I will be at full retirement age at that time. Am I able to collect spousal benefits of 1/2 of his FRA Soc Security benefit and delay collecting my own until I reach 70? My own benefits will equal $400-$500 more than my spousal 1/2 per month?
S.D.
Hi, Pat. Thanks for reading our blog and for your question. If you are eligible for both retirement and spouse’s benefits, you cannot choose to file for one and delay the other. The law was changed in 2015 about “deemed filing”. If you turned 62 on or after January 2, 2016, and you are eligible for retirement and spouse’s benefits, “deemed filing” applies to you. That means when you file for either your retirement or your spouse’s benefit, you are “deemed” to file for both. You’ll find details about the change in the law here. When you and your spouse are ready to apply for benefits, the most convenient way is to use our online application. For more information, read our blog. We hope this helps.
Melissa D.
Why does it take so long to get disabled widows benefit when I already receive SSI and have been receiving it since 2011. It’s been 7 months since he passed away and I’ve not heard one thing about it even been given to a case worker yet. What’s going I. I mean I live on 903.00 a month and could be receiving 1500.00. Even though we separated this whole time
Pat W.
I applied for my ss at age 62, in 2021, my husband at the time was 67 and was receiving his ss. When I applied, I was told that I was not eligible to draw off of his ss. My ss at the time was to be 945.00 a month and my husband for that same year was getting 2,454.00 a month through ss. Why would I have been denied drawing off of his ss?
S.D.
Hi, Pat. Thanks for reading our blog and for your questions. You are not eligible for spouse’s benefits because you started your own reduced retirement benefit at age 62. You are only due 50% of your husband’s benefit amount if you had waited until your full retirement age to start your retirement benefit. To learn more about the reduction, visit our Benefits Planner. We hope this helps.
Kathryn G.
I am 72 and my husband is 79. He is receiving Civil Service Retirement $52,050/yr. I am receiving social security. Shouldn’t he be able to receive half my soc security as a spousal benefit?
Thanks for your help.
Bill s.
Not unless you are getting over $104,000 social security.
S.D.
Hi, Kathryn. Thanks for reading our blog and for your question. Because your husband receives a pension for work not covered by Social Security, two laws may affect his Social Security benefits. His spouse’s benefit on your record may be reduced by Government Pension Offset (GPO). He may not receive any payment as your spouse. You can visit our Benefits Planner to determine how your husband’s civil service pension will affect his benefits. We hope this helps.
Carlo B.
I’m 63 years old and I still working abroad. I’m not AN american citizen. My wife Is AN american citizen and She Is retired. I want to ask i f I’m eligible for spouse benefit or if I have to wait until my retirement age.
Bill s.
If you are nor an American citizen and don’t work in america and have not paid into SS for at least 40 quarters you get nothing.
S.D.
Hi, Carlo. Thanks for reading our blog and for your question. In certain cases, noncitizens can receive Social Security benefits. For more information, visit our Frequently Asked Questions and read our publication, Your Payments While Outside the United States. Several factors may affect your eligibility for spouse’s benefits, including your age and your earnings from work. For more information, visit our Benefits for Spouses and Receiving Benefits While Working pages. We hope this helps.
Jeff L.
I was approved for my retirement July 2, and then immediately suspended because I work. I have complied with the hour requirement, even submitting 2 SSA Forms stating that I am in compliance as set out in Publication No. 05-10137 on page 13. How can I be in compliance by working less than 45 hours and still be suspended? Because I live overseas, I have to communicate with the office in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, which is a nightmare because they are always on the phone and spend hours calling over and over when their system auto-disconnects after several minutes, and they do not provide answers to my questions in emails that they send me. Why am I being punished for following the rules?
S.D.
We’re sorry to hear about your situation, Jeff. For your security, we do not have access to private information in this venue. If you disagree with a decision we’ve made, you can file an appeal online. For more information, read our publication, Your Right to Appeal the Decision Made on Your Claim. You referenced page 13 of publication 05-10137, Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States. Page 14 of that same publication states, “Under certain conditions, Social Security covers work by U.S. citizens or residents outside the United States. If Social Security covers your work, the same annual retirement test that applies to people in the U.S. applies to you.” To learn more about the earnings limit, visit Receiving Benefits While Working. Our Office of Earnings and International Operations page provides resources for customers living abroad. You can also submit feedback by visiting our How can we help? webpage. From there, select the “Email Us” link. This will take you to the “Email Our Support Team” form where you can submit a complaint, compliment, or suggestion. We hope this helps.
Sandra R.
If I am getting a spousal benefit on my spouses record before my full retirement age and my spouse passes,does my benefit automatically switch to the survivor benefit even though I am not at FRA or does my spousal benefit stop and I wait till FRA to get the full survivor benefit? Also will my taking the spousal benefit before my FRA decrease my survivor benefit ?
S.D.
Hi, Sandra. Thanks for reading our blog and for your questions. If you’re getting benefits as a spouse when your spouse passes away, we’ll change your payments to survivors benefits when we are notified of your spouse’s death. If you are at full retirement age or older when your spouse dies, you’ll generally get 100% of their benefit. At age 65, you’ll get over 90% of their benefit. At age 63, you’ll get over 80% of their benefit. You may also be eligible for a $255 Lump-Sum Death Payment. For more information, visit our Survivors page and read our Survivors publication. We hope this helps.
robert e.
both my wife &myself were orginaly on s.s. disability. we both have reached full retirement age/can my spouse still get 50% of my benifit’