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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Susan J.
Obviously this is site is a joke. I’m trying to find help.
why am I surprised to find none. How much does this person, Jim Borland, acting director of communications (for whom) makes be on a site where real people in need help can get help?!!l. Wish I could apply for his job! Communications, what a joke and taxpayer ripoff. Susan J Lurding
Susan J.
please see comment above or contact me, filled to this form4 times. please contact me or tell how to ask the questions from social security office.
Susan J.
Social society help, I am 74 yr person divorced now about 4 yrs and married 44 years, advised by husband to take retirement early. had many years of working at home, taking care of children and working for free in my husbands construction and real estate business, opening and managing 3 businesses and working without pay in order to pay employees. Receive less than a third of his social security monthly payment. Is any way I can get part of his social security payment, do not want him be penalized, but only fair to ask for some of what he earns from social security. Would appreciate your response or link to some one who can help. Cannot live on $600 month when husband isgeting 2,000.
stefan l.
I need to find out what my share of the wife’s ssa payment based on an estimated date of death.
according to the md’s, approximately 1 year from now.
she has stage 4 cancer
V.V.
Hi Stefan, thank you for your question. We are very sorry to hear about your wife’s diagnosis. Your wife may want to consider applying for disability benefits. We pay disability benefits through two programs: the Social Security Disability Insurance program (SSDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. To qualify for SSDI benefits, you must have worked long enough and recently enough in jobs covered by Social Security (usually within the last 10 years). The (SSI) program is a needs based program that gives cash assistance to disabled individuals with limited income and resources. We pay disability benefits to people who are unable to work because of a medical condition that is expected to last one year or more or to end in death. If you think you may be eligible to receive disability benefits and would like to apply, you can use our online application.
The amount of your widowers 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 retirement benefit. We compare your own benefit with your potential survivor benefit. If your survivor benefit would be higher than your own current retirement benefit at the time of your spouse’s passing, you would be eligible for survivor benefits.
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 the eligibility factors and how much your benefit would be, visit our Survivors Planner.
John D.
To whom it may concern: I’m John David Beltran, ss# XXXXXXXXX. I can produce a QRDO about my divorced wife on splitting wages of retirement in Texas law. I would like to know if Crystal Lynn Kempf, ss#XXXXXXXXX has retired? I has retired through Texas Retirement System, TRS. Crystal Kempf contacted me back in December that she was retiring. She is receiving $1,000 monthly from me.
V.V.
Hi John, thanks for using our blog. Because of privacy and security concerns, you will not be able to obtain information regarding your ex-spouse. Thanks!
tina
My husband recently passed away. He was already receiving full benefits. I’m 62 and have just started to receive mine. I received a letter stating what my widow’s benefits will be. My question is will I receive my benefits plus his reduced benefits?
V.V.
Hi Tina, we are very sorry for your loss. Your widow’s benefit amount is based on your husband’s earnings. If he was already receiving benefits when he passed away, your survivors benefit is based on that amount. The percentage of that amount that you would receive depends on how old you are when you file as a widow. We are only going to pay the highest benefit amount from either record, meaning you don’t get both retirement and widows benefits but the higher of the two.
Widows benefits are payable as early as age 60 (for a reduced benefit) or a full widowers benefit at full retirement age or older. Use our Survivors Planner to determine your benefit percentage based on various ages.
If you have additional questions or wish to apply for widow’s benefits, please call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213or or your local Social Security office to make an appointment. Please look for the general inquiry telephone number at the Social Security Office Locator. The number may appear under Show Additional Office Information. Please be aware that our call wait times are longer than normal. We hope this information helps.
Tina
The benefits I’m receiving at 62 are under my work record. Does this make a difference?
Mary A.
My spouse died 1/31/20. I called SS and they said that Iwas his December benefit and I was entitled to the benefit since he was alive the entire month.
Now I am being told that because he died at 9:00 am
they instructed payment back from my bank where his check was direct deposited and I owe bank. I never received anything in writing from SS. Please explain.
V.V.
We are very sorry for your loss, Mary Ann. To be eligible for a Social Security benefit payment, a person has to live throughout the entire month. We can’t pay benefits for the month of death. If the deceased was receiving Social Security benefits, you must return the benefit received for the month of death or any later months. Keep in mind that Social Security benefits are paid the month after they are due. For example, if the person dies in January, you must return the benefit paid in February and continuing. However, some of the deceased’s family members may be eligible to receive survivors benefits.
For details on survivor benefits, check out our Benefits Planner: Survivors.
KAPIL P.
Does the savings of the spouse affects the grants of sss income
KAPIL P.
Does the savings of the spouse affect the grant of social security s income.
Betty S.
need to know what to do for death benefits and other things.. John passed on May 3rd 2020. a letter would be good or an appointment at the Lone Oak, Ky. office would be better
Janice Q.
My husband passed on May 2, 2020. I’m wondering if I am elegable to receive benefits from his Social Security. If so how can I find out how much I can draw?