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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Julie C.
Good evening. I will be 62 soon. My husband is 77 and has been receiving social security retiree benefits since he was 62. I plan to wait until I am 70 to receive benefits on my own record. When I turn 62, may I begin to receive benefits from my husbands account? I would continue to do this until I reach 70 when I would switch over to taking benefits from my own account. Thanks for your attention to this matter.
V.V.
Hi Julie, thank you for your question. You may be able to get spouse’s benefits but, under existing law, if you are eligible for benefits both as a retired worker and as a spouse, you must apply for both benefits and you’ll receive the higher of the two benefits. This requirement is called “deemed filing” because when you apply for one benefit you are “deemed” to have also applied for the other.
However, if you turn 62 before January 2, 2016, deemed filing rules will not apply if you wait to file at your full retirement age or later. This means that you may file for either your spouse’s benefit or your retirement benefit without being required or “deemed” to file for the other. See our Deemed Filing For Retirement And Spouse’s Benefits FAQs web page for details.
Joann
My husband is deceased I am 63 & just lost my job do to coronavirus I am now collecting unemployment am I able to start collecting my husband ss along with unemployment ? Thank you
Barbara K.
I have been receiving disability benefits for several years. My husband is receiving retirement benefits. Will I get the same spousal benefits at 65 as I would if I wait until 66? My 65th birthday is in less than 2 months. Thank you.
V.V.
Hi Barbara, thank you for your question. For you to qualify for spouse’s benefits on your husband’s record, he must be receiving retirement or disability benefits. Also, your own disability benefit must be less than half of your husband’s full benefit amount, in order to qualify for additional spouse’s benefits on his record. If your benefit is less than half, then you may qualify for a higher amount on his record as a spouse, and you can receive a combination of benefits that equals that higher amount. Visit our Retirement Planner: Benefits For You As A Spouse for more information.
Mark W.
Hi! My wife will be 65 at the end of December this year. She is retiring in August of this year and wants to postpone her Soc Sec until she’s 70 so she can collect a higher amount. I’ve been collecting my Soc Sec for a little over six years now. Can my wife collect 50% of what I’m collecting until she files for her Soc Sec at age 70? Can she collect her Soc Sec at the 70 year old amount? And would it affect my Soc Sec at all? THANKS!!!
Julie C.
Good evening. I will be 62 soon. My husband is 77 and has been receiving social security retiree benefits since he was 62. I plan to wait until I am 70 to receive benefits on my own record. When I turn 62, may I begin to receive benefits from my husbands account? I would continue to do this until I reach 70 when I would switch over to taking benefits from my own account. Thanks for your attention to this matter.
V.V.
Hi Mark, thank you for your questions. Your wife may be able to get spouse’s benefits but, under existing law, if she is eligible for benefits both as a retired worker and as a spouse, she must apply for both benefits and she’ll receive the higher of the two benefits. This requirement is called “deemed filing” because when you apply for one benefit you are “deemed” to have also applied for the other.
However, if she turns 62 before January 2, 2016, deemed filing rules will not apply if she waits to file at her full retirement age or later. This means that she may file for either spouse’s benefits or her own retirement benefit without being required or “deemed” to file for the other. See our Deemed Filing For Retirement And Spouse’s Benefits FAQs web page for details.
Marsha C.
I am currently working full time and turning 65 in October. My husband passed away 4 years ago. Currently I am not getting any Social Security. Am I able to collect widows benefits and still keep working?
V.V.
Hi Marsha, thank you for your question. The amount you’re allowed to earn while receiving benefits depends on your age. If you’re receiving Social Security retirement or survivors benefits and you’re younger than your full retirement age, and earn more than certain amounts, your benefits will be reduced. Check out our publication How Work Affects Your Benefits for the details.
KT
If I am disabled and on disability and my husband who was on social security has passed away, how do I know what my new benefits will be ?
V.V.
Hi KT, thank you for your question. The amount of your widows benefit is based on several factors, including: the earnings of the person who died, when the deceased worker started receiving their benefits, your age at the time of your spouse’s death, and the amount of your own benefit.
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 Planner.
Shorty T.
Hi If I take my retirement benefit at 62 and then suspend it at 67 until age 70, does it effect my husband’s own retirement benefit pays he is currently receiving?
V.V.
Hi Shorty, thanks for using our blog to ask your question. If your husband is only receiving his own Social Security retirement benefits, your Social Security retirement benefit suspension would not affect his benefit. Check out our Benefits Planner: Suspending Retirement Benefit Payments for additional details. We hope this helps.
Lydia G.
My husband is currently receiving his deceased wife’s social security. We have been married over 20 years. If he dies before the 3rd of the month (when he normally receives it) and due to when the 3rd is on a weekend. Do we get to keep the check? Or send it back? How can I get HIS social security. I am 59 and not disabled.
V.V.
Hi Lydia, thank you for your question. Your survivor amount is based on your husband’s earnings. The more he paid into Social Security, the higher your benefit will be. If he is receiving reduced benefits when he passes 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.
Use our Survivors Planner to look at how family members are protected.
OSCAR A.
I am retired and collecting from my teacher’s pension and a small portion from SS. Can my wife claim SS benefits even if she is not at retirement age yet?
V.V.
Hi Oscar. For your wife to qualify for spouse’s benefits on your record, you must be receiving retirement or disability benefits, and she must be 62 or older. Also, if your wife is receiving Social Security benefits on her own record, we pay that amount first. But, if she also qualifies for a higher amount on your record as a spouse, she may be able to get a combination of benefits that equals that higher amount. Visit our Retirement Planner: Benefits For You As A Spouse for more information.
Mary R.
I am retired and collecting SS. My husband is still working however my understanding is that he can collect on my SS (he is 65 and i am 69). Please advise how to submit a claim.