Understanding Spouse’s Benefits
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: May 25, 2021
Marriage is a cultural institution that exists all over the world. Having a partner means sharing many things including a home and other property. Understanding how your future retirement might affect your spouse is important. When you’re planning for your fun and vibrant golden years, here are a few things to remember:
Your full spouse’s benefit could be up to 50 percent of your spouse’s full retirement age amount if you are full retirement age when you take it. If you qualify for your own retirement benefit and a spouse’s benefit, we always pay your own benefit first. You cannot receive spouse’s benefits unless your spouse is receiving his or her retirement benefits (except for divorced spouses). If you took your reduced retirement first while waiting for your spouse to reach retirement age, when you add spouse’s benefits later, your own retirement portion remains reduced which causes the total retirement and spouses benefit together to total less than 50 percent of the worker’s amount. You can find out more on our website.
On the other hand, if your spouse’s retirement benefit is higher than your retirement benefit, and he or she chooses to take reduced benefits and dies first, your survivor benefit will be reduced, but may be higher than what your spouse received.
If the deceased worker started receiving reduced retirement benefits before their full retirement age, a special rule called the retirement insurance benefit limit may apply to the surviving spouse. The retirement insurance benefit limit is the maximum survivor benefit you may receive. Generally, the limit is the higher of:
- The reduced monthly retirement benefit to which the deceased spouse would have been entitled if they had lived, or
- 82.5 percent of the unreduced deceased spouse’s monthly benefit if they had started receiving benefits at their full retirement age (rather than choosing to receive a reduced retirement benefit early).
Knowing how your finances affect your spouse’s can help both of you avoid future impacts on your incomes. When it comes to information, we have over 80 years of experience. Access a wealth of useful information by visiting our benefits planners.
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Tags: retirement, Social Security benefits
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Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
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AL
Hello,
I am 65, have been receiving SSDI for 8 years now.
Wife is 48 and does not work.If I become deceased before She age 60. When will my spouse be eligible to receive S/S payments? If any at all..
Thank You in advance
Vonda
Hi Al, thank you for your question. Your wife’s survivor amount is based on your earnings. The more you paid into Social Security, the higher her benefit will be. If you are already receiving disability benefits when you pass away, survivors benefits are based on that amount.
Widows benefit are payable as early as age 60 (for a reduced benefit) or a full widows benefit at full retirement age or older.
Check out our Survivors web page for details on how your family members are protected if you die.
Mandy L.
I am thinking about filing for social security Spouses Benefit when I turn 64 in February, because as a non-working spouse, I don’t have enough credits to file under my own work record. My FRA is 66 and 6 months, which will be in August 2023. My spouse of 40 years filed for benefits at 67, which was after his full retirement age. He is in poor health, and is not likely to live more than 2 to 3 years. If I file for spouse benefits now, if he were to die, will I be able to file for surviving spouse benefits. Also, would my surviving spouse benefits be reduced because I filed for the spouse benefit at age 64? OR are spousal benefits and surviving spouse benefits separate benefits. If he dies before my FRA, and I do file for widow’s benefits, would the surviving spouse benefit be reduced, or if I wait until my FRA, could I get 100% of his monthly benefit?
Vonda
Hi Mandy, thanks for using our blog to ask your question. Your benefit as a spouse can be equal to one-half of your husband’s full retirement amount (not including the delayed retirement credits) only if you start receiving those benefits at your full retirement age. If you begin to receive benefits at age 62 or prior to your full retirement age, your benefits are reduced.
Typically, a widow or widower at full (survivors) retirement age or older generally receives 100% of the deceased worker’s amount, a widow or widower under full retirement age receives about 71 to 99 percent of the worker’s benefit amount, and a widow or widower with a child younger than age 16 receives 75 percent of the worker’s benefit amount.
For more information about how much your benefit would be, visit our If You Are The Survivor web page.
Lisa s.
If I’m a retired school teacher receiving IMRF retirement, am I eligible to receive my deceased husbands social security benefits?
Vonda
Hi Lisa, thanks for using our blog. If you receive a pension from a government job in which you did not pay Social Security taxes, some or all of your Social Security spouse’s, widow’s, or widower’s benefit may be offset due to receipt of that pension. This offset is referred to as the Government Pension Offset, or GPO. For additional details, check out our Government Pension Offset factsheet.
Laura
My husband is over 70, does not work, and does not have enough credits to collect SS. I am 61 and still working. Can my husband collect on my SS now, or does he have to wait until I reach a certain age or wait until I retire to start collecting his SS benefits off my social security ? Thank you
Vonda
Hi Laura, thanks for using our blog to ask your question. Your husband may be eligible for benefits on your record if you are receiving Social Security retirement or disability benefits. Check out our Benefits For Your Spouse web page for additional details.
Eliza M.
Retirement can influence not only the retiring person, but also the spouse. So knowing how your retirement isgoing to affect the partner is important in married life.
Eliza Mark
Content writer, MagentoMate
Wayne J.
My wife began receiving Social Security insurance benefits early which resulted in her getting a monthly benefit that is approximately 86% of what she would have received had she waited to her full retirement age. I waited until age 70 to file for Social Security benefits myself so I now draw retirement benefits that include delayed credits. If I die before her, what will happen to her monthly benefit? Will it increase to an amount equal to what I currently receive or will it be some lesser amount that factors in the reduced percentage she incurred by retiring early? Also, while I’m still alive and drawing Social Security, does she currently qualify for benefits that amount to half of my monthly benefit? And if so, would her benefits be subject to the same percentage reduction for having filed early herself (in other words, 86% of the difference between what we both receive)?
Vonda
Hi Wayne, thanks for using our blog to ask your question. We will always pay your wife’s own retirement benefit first. If benefits as a spouse are higher than her own retirement benefits, she will get a combination of benefits equaling the higher spouse benefit. However, the spouse’s benefit cannot exceed one-half of her full retirement amount (not her reduced benefit amount). So, she can only receive additional spouse’s benefits if her own full retirement benefit (not her reduced benefit) is less than half of your full retirement benefit (not your benefit which includes the delayed retirement credits).
Typically, a widow or widower at full (survivors) retirement age or older generally receives 100% of the deceased worker’s amount, a widow or widower under full retirement age receives about 71 to 99 percent of the worker’s benefit amount, and a widow or widower with a child younger than age 16 receives 75 percent of the worker’s benefit amount. For more information about how much your benefit would be, visit our Survivors Benefits web page.
Wayne J.
Thanks for the quick response, Vonda. Here is an excerpt (in quotes) from what you referenced in your response. “Widow or widower, full retirement age or older—100 percent of your benefit amount.” My follow-up question is: can I assume that the term “benefit amount” being used on your site means the current benefit I presently receive (since I deferred my initial benefit until age 70) or the “benefit” that I would have received had I filed when I reached what is termed “full retirement” age of 66? I’ve made erroneous assumptions in the past about the SSA terminology so I just need some clarification regarding which benefit amount we’re actually talking about. For instance, I labored under the misconception for years that “full” retirement benefit meant whatever I drew whenever I decided to finally file, whether it was at age 66 or 70. And that is the source of my confusion: am I making the same mistake that I made with the word “full” by assuming that the word “benefit” has no hidden, technical meaning other than what I assume? Sorry to be so particular but, while it’s easy for the public to fall into the trap of assigning meaning to standard terms that are in common use elsewhere in other contexts, we know the verbiage in your rules can be very specific and needs to be carefully read. Thanks.
Wayne J.
Following up: I guess what I’m asking is… will my wife get the benefit of my having delayed my initial filing for Social Security benefits once I die.
Vonda
Hi Wayne. If the person who died was receiving benefits, we base the survivors benefit on that amount. If the widow is full retirement age or older, she is eligible for 100% of the deceased worker’s benefit amount that they were receiving. Check out our Survivors page for more details.
Leanne F.
I currently collect social security from my work. I am wondering if it would be more if I was to use husbands benefits. I am 63 soon to be 64. My husband works full time and is 62
Vonda
Hi Leanne, thanks for using our blog to ask your question. You may be eligible for additional spouse’s benefits if your spouse is receiving retirement or disability benefits. Check out our Benefits For Your Spouse web page for more details. We hope this helps!
Madison
My 78 year old husband has a terminal illness. I believe he began receiving his benefits slightly earlier than full retirement age – maybe 9 months early. I am 15 years younger than him and am not yet receiving any SS benefits based on my record or his.
I understand I will be entitled to a widows benefit when he passes. I have found the % chart to use based on my birth year and age and since I had little income during my lifetime am sure the widows benefit would be higher than benefits based on my own record.
When he passes, do I need to go ahead and apply for the widows benefit but state that I don’t want to receive it yet or If I want to wait until a later point when the benefit would be higher do I apply then?
Vonda
Hi Madison, thanks for using our blog. There is a one-time lump-sum death payment of $255 that can be paid to the surviving spouse. You would need to call and make an appointment to file for that benefit. If you do not want to file for widow’s benefits at that time, you do not have to. Once you’re ready to receive widow’s benefits, you will need to call again to make an appointment.
Check out our If You Are The Survivor web page for details. We hope this helps!
steve
My wife is 70 and has not worked enough to be eligible for SS. I am working and I am 60. She was previously married more than 10 years. We have been married 35 years. I will not retire until age 67. Is she eligible for any retirement benefits (ss or medicare) from me or her ex currently? Does she have to wait until I retire to be eligible? Or can she start collecting off my SS when I reach 62 if I don’t retire until 67?
Vonda
Hi Steve, thanks for using our blog. Your wife must be unmarried to receive divorced spouse’s benefits on her ex-spouse’s record. In addition, even though your wife does not have enough credits for her own retirement benefits, she may be eligible for spouse’s benefits on your record if you are receiving retirement or disability benefits. Your spouse can also qualify for Medicare at age 65. Check out our Benefits For Your Spouse web page for more details. We hope this helps!
Lorraine C.
My late husband had been receiving SSDI until he passed away in 2014. I was receiving benefits at that time. Then it flipped to caregiver status for our two teenage daughters.
I will turn 60 in May and was wondering if I am able to collect my widow’s benefits then, and if so, what do I need to do since we were already in the system