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.
Did you find this Information helpful?
Tags: retirement, Social Security benefits
See CommentsAbout the Author
Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
Comments
Comments are closed.
Guobei X.
I was receiving my full retirement benefits since I was 70 last November. Before that, I was received my husband’s 1/2 portion of his full retirement benefits.
Now I noticed that I got both payments. Was there some mistakes ?
Ellen K.
I have been receiving spouse benefits for several years. I will be turning 70 in November and would like to know if my own benefits would be better to take at that point. Should I make an appointment at my closest local office for advice?
mike
your answers are overly confusing and sound more like disclaimers protecting your dept. than clear answers to help a claimant understand benefits… please keep it simple……
Karen
I can’t find out how to apply for spousal benefits
Craig
Question please: Am i correct to say that a spouse can be any age and collect SS if caring for the worker’s disabled child?
This is one of the two exceptions to the age requirement as i understand it.
RONALD W.
MY FATHER WILFRED HENERY OTTO GRUMMERT PASSED AWAY AUGUST 9TH 2018 AND WE STILL HAVE NOT RECIEVED THE DEATH BENIFIT. WHAT CAN WE DO ?
L.A.
Hi Ronald. Thanks for your question. The “death benefits,” better known as the lump sum death payment of $255, may be payable upon the death of a person who has worked long enough to be insured under the Social Security program. Only eligible family members may be able to receive this one-time payment and monthly survivor benefits. You can find more information on this on our publication titled How Social Security Can Help You When a Family Member Dies. We hope this helps.
AMPARO H.
To whom it may concern:
My name is Amparo Hernandez Gomez, I live in Colombia, my husband passed away and he was american citizen.
His pension was pending to be received by me as a beneficiary wife. The first pension was received in 2017 since then i have not received any monthly pension from my husband, what do i have to do in order to get the money still pending? where do i have to call, i do not speak English, just Spanish, please let me know where to call or who to contact to
I have a friend in USA who is helping us to obtain the information and the steps to follow to get my husband’s pension
Thank you
JOHN F.
my wife passed away and what do I need to do and where? I have an office nearby, is better in person and what do I need to bring with. Death cert s/b 7-10 days away and I will be away then. I just vwant to be efficient and get all this complete. Please advise
Christopher W.
My wife is 62 and I’m 64, can I apply for my SS benefit but delay it and have my wife collect 50% of my benefit until I’m ready to activate my own benefit?
L.A.
Thanks for your question, Christopher. Keep in mind, if you submit a request to suspend your benefits to earn delayed retirement credits on or after April 30, 2016, you will not be able to receive auxiliary benefits on someone else’s Social Security record. In addition, if you suspend your benefit, anyone receiving benefits on your record (excluding divorced spouses) will also be suspended for the same months you request suspension. Check out our Benefits Planner: Retirement for more information. Also, for your wife to qualify for spouse’s benefits, you must be 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, 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.
Harry C.
I am planning on retiring at my full retirement age of 70 in 2 years. My ex-spouse (divorced) wants to claim spousal benefits now, she is 60 and disabled. Will that impact my claim in 2 years?