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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Theresa B.
What if I divorced and did not remarry, can i draw from my x spouse?
L.A.
Hi, Theresa. Thanks for your question. To be eligible for divorced spouse benefits, you had to be married to your former spouse for at least 10 years, you have to be age 62 or older, and you cannot be eligible for a higher benefit on your own record. For more information on how to qualify for divorced spouse benefits, visit our Benefits Planner: If You Are Divorced. We hope this helps.
Mary
Can I collect 1/2 of my husbands benefit till I reach age 70, and then switch to mine, or 66 and 2 months
KV
Is it then accurate or not – that a surviving spouse receives the greater of 1) the spouses retirement amount or 2) the deceased’s retirement amount, ….but nothing more than that one or the other. Thank-you.
Kathleen M.
My husband worked in a State Government position and did not pay into SS for 10 years. I have my own SS which is higher than his. If I were to die could he claim spousal benefits under my earnings?
Anita D.
I couldn’t understand the spouse retirement topic?? Too confusing.
Francis W.
My wife retired at 62yo with a meager benefit (she was a stay at home mom with minimal work) where as I started to collect benefits at 66yo with 4 times more than she receives and recently retired at 69yo, can my wife’s receive any adjusted income from my benefit and how much would that be?
Judith B.
I would like to make an appointment to meet with someone to talk about receiving a portion of my husbands’ social security benefits while he is collection it. I don’t have enough quarters to collect my own. Due to my mental and physical condition I don’t know if I can make the last year needed. I have been applying for jobs I feel I might be able to work. Thank you.
Cheryl
I don’t get it
Diana W.
What, if any, benefits can remarried divorced spouses receive upon the death of the former spouse?
Debbie M.
What do i need to do to be able to collect a partial amount of my ex husbands SSI? We were married for 13 yrs. I took a early retirement at 62, and i believe he is collecting at 65. Thank you for any info you can give me. Sincerly, Debbie Marshall.