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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Howard B.
My question is about the effect of the WEP on spousal benefits. If a member elects to begin Social Security benefits at his full retirement age, 66, and the spouse, age 66, also elects to begin benefits, and the spouse’s benefit will be larger when combining her benefit & 1/2 of his benefit, does the fact that his benefit will be reduced by the WEP affect the amount she will be eligible to receive? I know this is a long question, but I need to know if the spousal benefit is computed on his WEP reduced amount, or his PIA prior to the WEP reduction. I thank you for your attention to this question.
A.C.
Hi, Howard. If the Windfall Provision (WEP) applies, all benefits are determined using the WEP Primary Insurance Amount (PIA); however, WEP is no longer applicable in survivors cases. For more information about the Windfall Elimination Provision, visit here. You can also call us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., for assistance. Generally, you will have a shorter wait if you call later in the day. You can also contact your local Social Security office. We hope this helps.
Billy
my wife was on disibility andpassed. i’m on ss . do i get any benefits
A.C.
Hi, Billy. We are sorry to hear about your loss.You could be eligible for reduced widow’s benefits as early as age 60 (age 50 if disabled). For more information, please go to our Survivors Planner page and read our publication: How Social Security Can Help – When A Family Member Dies. We hope this helps.
Patrick M.
My wife died when she was 53. She never took any SSA benefits. My daughter received an SSA payment until she graduated from High School. My question is will I be able to receive a spousal benefit on my wife’s SSA? If so, when can I apply for it?
Thanks,
A.C.
Hi, Patrick. Thanks for your question.Hi! You are eligible to apply for survivor benefits when you reach age 60 (age 50 or over if disabled). For more information on survivors benefits, check out our Benefits Planner: If You Are The Survivor. We hope that helps.
Samuel C.
I am helping my sister collect social security benefits from her former spouse: they we’re divorced four years ago. We visited our local Social Security off in Glassboro today and the clerk was unable to verity her husbands earnings without her former husbands Social Security Number. I believe that now he is refusing to give us his Social Security number and because of this my ester might not be able to collect her spousal benefits. I know that the number is confidential because of fraud but couldn’t his number be sent without us seeing it to the local office so that they can verity his earnings? We have all the other documents such as marriage and divorce papers and birth certificate and tax return. Please offer any advice. Samuel C. Wright
A.C.
Hi, Samuel. For your sister’s security, we do not have access to private information in this venue. We ask that members in our Blog community to continue to work with our offices with specific questions. She can call us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., for assistance. Generally, she will have a shorter wait if she calls later in the day. She can also contact her local Social Security office. We hope this helps.
Karyl M.
I am trying to change my social security benefits to my husbands spousal benefits and it wont let me. It really should not be this hard.
A.C.
Hi, Karyl. We are sorry to hear about your frustration. If you are currently receiving benefits, you cannot file online. Also, to qualify for spouse’s benefits, your spouse must be receiving retirement or disability benefits. Keep in mind that if you qualify for your own retirement benefits and for benefits as a spouse, we always pay your own benefits first. If your benefits as a spouse are higher than your own retirement benefits, you will get a combination of benefits equaling the higher spouse benefit. Visit our Retirement Planner: Benefits For You As A Spouse for more information. To discuss potential spouse’s benefits or set up an appointment to file, you can call us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., for assistance. Generally, you will have a shorter wait if you call later in the day. You can also contact your local Social Security office. We hope this helps.
Madeline M.
Does a Resident of the US receive spouse benefits if her husband a US Citizen collecting SS benefits passes prior to her?
A.C.
Hi, Madeline. A wife may qualify for spouse’s benefits if she is at least age 62 years of age and her husband is spouse is receiving retirement or disability benefits. If she qualifies for Social Security benefits on her own record, we pay that amount first. But if she also qualifies for a higher amount as a spouse later on, she’ll get a combination of benefits that equals that higher amount. Visit our Retirement Planner: Benefits For You As A Spouse for more information. We hope this helps.
Debra L.
Can I receive spousal retiree benefits under my husbands Social Security benefits, with out reducing his benefits each month.
A.C.
Hi, Debra. To qualify for spouse’s benefits, your husband must be receiving retirement or disability benefits. Also, when you qualify for Social Security benefits on your own record, we pay that amount first. But if you also qualify for a higher amount as a spouse later on, you’ll get a combination of benefits that equals that higher amount. Visit our Retirement Planner: Benefits For You As A Spouse for more information. Benefits are subject to a family maximum. For more information, visit our Benefits Planner: Retirement. We hope this helps.
Steve
Hi maybe you can help. My wife and I are both 62. I will receive the larger benefit. I want to delay filing until 70. Can my wife (with the smaller benefit) claim her own at FRA, then switch to spousal benefit when I claim at 70?
A.C.
Hi, Steve. If your wife qualifies for Social Security benefits on her own record, we pay that amount first. But if she also qualifies for a higher amount as a spouse later on, she’ll get a combination of benefits that equals that higher amount. Visit our Retirement Planner: Benefits For Your Spouse for more information. We hope this helps.
Janice K.
My Mother Phyllis Szymoniak died May 12,2019.
How to I terminate her direct deposit benefits?
A.C.
We are sorry to hear about your loss, Janice. Typically, funeral homes report deaths to the Social Security Administration directly. You can check with the funeral home to determine if reporting has been done. We hope this helps.
Mary A.
Does the first wife have the right to make a claim on ex- husbands Social Security Benefits after he dies if she has not ever remarried? I was told that this has been the case with a number of people I know.
A.C.
Hi, Mary Ann. To be eligible for divorced spouse benefits, she had to be married to her former spouse for at least 10 years, be unmarried, and she cannot be eligible for a higher benefit on your own record. For more information on how to qualify for divorced spouse benefits, visit here. Hope this helps!