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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Gary A.
Can I apply for spousal benefits? and can I set up an appointment to discuss this option?
A.C.
Hi, Gary. Thanks for your question.To qualify for spouse’s benefits, your spouse must be receiving retirement or disability benefits. Also, if 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, you’ll get a combination of benefits that equals that higher amount. For more information, visit our Benefits Planner: Benefits As A Spouse. You can schedule an appointment with your local office by calling us at 1-800-772-1213 between 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday and a representative will assist you. We hope this helps.
Linda T.
My husband passed away on 10/9/19 &I just received form SSA-1724-F4. I would like to know why our children’s names, addresses and SS number is required on this form.
L.A.
Hi Linda. We are sorry for your loss. It is possible that your husband may have been due a Social Security payment and/or a Medicare Premium refund prior to or at the time of death. A Social Security payment due a deceased beneficiary may be paid to a family member or a legal representative of the estate in the following order:
-To you as the surviving spouse;
-Your children who, for the month of death, were entitled to a monthly benefit on the same record as your husband;
-Your husband’s parents who, for the month of death, were entitled to a monthly benefit on the same record as husband;
-A surviving spouse not qualified under 1. above;
-Children not qualified under 2. above;
-Parents not qualified under 3. above; or
-The legal representative of your husband’s estate.
A Medicare Premium refund may be issued to the person or organization that paid the beneficiary’s premiums. If the beneficiary paid the premiums, refunds may be issued to a family member or the legal representative of the estate in the following order:
-The legal representative of the deceased person’s estate.
-To you, as the surviving spouse;
-Your children who, for the month of death, were entitled to a monthly benefit on the same record as your husband;
-Your husband’s parents who, for the month of death, were entitled to a monthly benefit on the same record as your husband;
-A surviving spouse not qualified under 1. above;
-Children not qualified under 2. above; or
-Parents not qualified under 3. above.
The form SSA-1724 helps us decide who should receive any payment due. Send the completed form to your local Social Security office. If you have any questions, you may call us toll-free at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may call our TTY number, 1-800-325-0778. We hope this helps.
Ty
I had to go on disability at 57 my wife worked earlier in life she is now disabiled. but has not worked in the last 10/ 15 year can she get disability social security on my work history.
L.A.
Hi Ty. For your security, we do not have access to your personal information in this forum. For specific questions about your account, please call our toll free number, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), from Monday through Friday, between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. You may also contact your local Social Security office. We hope this helps.
Craig
I finally retired 1st part of January,2019. Before my 1st wife passed, she was ill enough that I started SSA benefits early at age 52 1/2 and worked 32 hours a week, every other week. That went on for 3 years. Then when she passed, the following year in January, I started back to work full time, and discontinued SSA benefits for a year. Then the next year started up SSA benefits again, and continued to work the next two years, until retiring in January. I remarried a year and a half ago. My wife is a divorcee, and her ex’s salary was much higher than what she is making as an hourly employee. She was told that when she retires in a couple of years at full retirement age, that she would get substantially more if she chose to take the amount she can receive because she was married to him, which she plans to do. Will she receive that full retirement age amount based upon her husbands higher salary being married to me, and will I continue to receive my regular SSA monthly benefit amount I am currently receiving, with yearly cost-of- living adjustments???? Would it be a good idea for us to go in for a joint meeting with an SSA specialist to see what our options are?? We both want to know how much we would actually receive for future planning purposes after she retires. Thanks for any suggestions or thoughts you might have for this circumstance. Craig
A.C.
Hi, Craig. Unfortunately, your question is a bit more complex than we can answer in this forum. We ask that members in our Blog community work with our offices with specific questions. 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.
Marcia S.
My spouse retired at full retirement age, 66, 2yrs. ago(2017). I retired at 62 last Dec.(2019) He receives about $2,200 a month. I receive about $880 a month. Am I eligible to receive 50% of his amount as this would be over a $300 increase?
A.C.
Hi, Marcia. For your security, we do not have access to private information in this venue. We ask that members in our Blog community work with our offices with specific questions. 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.
carmen c.
I would like to start drawing my social security instead of my husbands how do I do this on line
A.C.
Hi, Carmen. Since you are currently receiving benefits, you should call us at 1-800-772-1213 to set up an appointment to file a new claim. You can also contact your local Social Security office for assistance. Thanks!
patricia a.
I need to know if I can receive additional benefit money from deceased husband which I was divorced from we were married over 10 years. I also need addresses of local SS offices in Iselin NJ and New
Brunswick NJ.
A.C.
Hi, Patricia. If the marriage lasted for at least 10 years, you could be eligible for surviving divorced spouse benefits based on your ex-husband’s earnings, beginning at age 60. If you are disabled, you could qualify for benefits as early as age 50 if the disability started before or within 7 years of your ex-husband’s death. For additional information on Survivor benefits, check out our Survivors Planner. To find your local Social Security office information, visit here. We hope this helps.
Rob D.
No one seems to know about the Spousal benefit for those spouses who do not have enough for thier own Social security, yet it does not reduce the breadwinners Social security he or she is receiving, I found this on AARP and other retirement sites, you do not explain this, and many are left in the dark and die never knowing they could collect on thier spouse’s Social Security.
Bobbie D.
When my spouse passes away do I lose all her SS income?
Nicholas C.
My wife turns 70 in January 2020. She as been collecting half of my social security since she turned 66. Will she have to revert to collecting her retirement only when she turns 70?
L.A.
Hi Nicholas. Thank you for your question. Please note that your wife will continue to collect the same amount when she turns 70 years old. Please visit our Retirement Planner: Benefits For You As A Spouse for more information. For specific questions, please call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), 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. We hope this helps.