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 L.
My wife receives $1000 per month spouses benefit, she reached her full retirement age in 2019. She has not filed for her retirement benefit of $1200. When she files will she get the $1200 or is she locked in to the $1000?
V.V.
Hi Gary, thanks for your question. 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 for assistance or you can contact your local Social Security office. 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.
Donna E.
My husband passed away on March 22, 2020. My friend’s husband passed away on May 21, 2020. She received $541.00 from Social Security and I have received nothing.
V.V.
We are very sorry for your loss, Donna. The amount of a 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 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 how much your benefit would be, visit our Survivors Planner.
You can call us at 1-800-772-1213 for assistance or you can contact your local Social Security office. 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.
Donna E.
My husband passed away on March 22, 2020. My friend’s husband passed away on May 21, 2020. She received $541.00 from Social Security and I have not received anything.
Terry T.
If I understand correctly, my x wife is not eligible mainly because I have not reached retirement age and not included her on the benefits? Is this correct? Thank you, Sincerely Terry Allen Taylor
V.V.
Hi Terry, thanks for using our blog. If you are divorced and your ex-spouse is currently unmarried, she may be able to receive benefits on your record if your marriage lasted 10 years or longer. Her benefit as a divorced spouse can be equal to one-half of your full retirement amount.
See our Retirement Planner: If You’re Divorced for other eligibility requirements and more detailed information.
You can apply online by using our Social Security Retirement/Medicare Benefit Application to apply for retirement, spouse’s,divorced spouse’s or Medicare benefits.
Roger D.
I received an email stating that I can now apply for a replacement SS card online but when I logon to my SS account it states that I cannot. Why the email stating that I can.
Celeste c.
Question my husband died during desert storm gulf war era and was retired 100%service connected and I’m now complete disabled with MD & Chrones Disease in a wheelchair and on something called SSDI I worked for the state over 12 years here but only receive monthly$506.00 they take 144.00 away from Medicare despite me being on Tricare thru military am I entitled to funding thru my husband working years thru SSDI along with his military time for his working years in and out of the service . I do get his V.A the CASUALTY OFFICER DID SET UP IN 1991 WHEN HE DIED 1 WEEK AFTER TURNING 21. PLEASE HELP ME UNDERSTAND MY ENTITLEMENTS NOW THAT IM STUCK AT HOME WITH THESE DISABILITIES and all these meds I’m on. It’s very costly for me to pay co-pays on 23 Different medications monthly
V.V.
We are very sorry for your loss, Celeste. Typically, a widow can receive a reduced benefit as early as age 60 or full benefits at full retirement age or older. However, benefits are payable as early as age 50 if the widow is disabled AND the disability started before or within seven years of their spouse’s death. Check out our Social Security Survivors Planner for additional details.
hella c.
My husband gets 1610.00$ and I get 597.00$ can I get spousel support ?
V.V.
Hi there. We will always pay your own retirement benefit first. If your benefits as a spouse are higher than your own retirement benefits, you will get a combination of benefits equaling the higher spouse benefit. However, the spouse’s benefit cannot exceed one-half of your husband’s full retirement amount (not his reduced benefit amount). So, you can only receive additional spouse’s benefits if your own full retirement benefit (not your reduced benefit) is less than half of your husband’s full retirement benefit.
Generally, during the initial interview when applying for Social Security benefits, we typically explore all other benefits that could yield you a higher benefit amount. To find out if you are eligible for a higher benefit amount, you can call us at 1-800-772-1213 or you can contact your local Social Security office. 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.
Danielle M.
My ex-husband passed away on April 29, 2020. Am I eligible to apply and collect his Social Security Benefit (or portion)? We were married for 21 years. I am currently 74. My Social Security Benefit is $980.00 per month. It would help me out a lot if this can happen. Thank you in advance for your reply.
V.V.
Hi Danielle. If you are the divorced spouse of a worker who died and you are not married, or you remarried after age 60, you could get benefits just the same as a widow or widower. For more information, please visit our Surviving Divorced Spouse webpage.
If you’re already receiving retirement benefits, you would only apply for benefits as a surviving divorced spouse if your retirement benefit is less than the benefit you would receive as a survivor. You cannot receive both at the same time. To inquire about receiving a higher benefit and your options on switching, please call our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or you can contact your local Social Security office. 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.
Steven B.
To whoever wrote this article.
I know you are trying to be helpful, but the only person who would understand this article Is someone who already understands the issue and therefore does not need to read the article in the first place.
Please hire some communications professionals (who also understand math lol).
Specific suggestion – stop with all the digressions into exceptions. Lay out a simple case – working spouse retires at full retirement age. Non working spouse reaches full retirement age four years later. How would the benefit work? You just worked a miracle for a large number of your constituents who need to read no further.
Now – lets make it more complicated. What if the non working spouse wants to receive benefits prior to full retirement age. There goes another set of people who need to read no further.
Then – What if couple was divorced 10 years ago and neither remarried.
And so on.
I have spoken with a lot of people. Everyone has paid into this system. No one understands how the benefits work incl many financial planners.
Maria L.
I receive a pension from my state. I am 63. That is my only income. I do not work. My spouse died recently. He was receiving Social Security. Am I entitled to his Social Security benefit. We were married over 20 years.
V.V.
We are very sorry for your loss, Maria. Widows benefits are payable as early as age 60 (for a reduced benefit) or a full widows benefit at full retirement age or older.
If you receive a pension from a government job in which you did not pay Social Security taxes, some or all of your Social Security widow’s benefit may be offset due to receipt of that pension. This offset is referred to as the Government Pension Offset, or GPO. For additional details, check out our Government Pension Offset factsheet.