Social Security is a vital source of retirement income for nearly women.  For this reason, information technology is important to sympathize how the spousal benefit works and how it can impact the amount of Social Security income you lot receive.

As a spouse, y'all can claim a Social Security do good based on your own earnings record, or collect a spousal benefit in the amount of 50% of your spouse'south Social Security benefit, merely not both.  You lot are automatically entitled to receive whichever benefit provides yous the higher monthly amount.  In order to qualify for Social Security spousal benefits, you lot must be at least 62 years one-time and your spouse must also be collecting his or her own benefits.  Additionally, if you are the college earner, your spouse can apply to collect spousal benefits based on your work record.  It is important to note that claiming a spousal do good does not impact the benefit corporeality received by the worker whose earning record is existence used.

Taking Benefits Early

If your spouse takes Social Security before his full retirement age, his or her monthly benefits will be reduced.  Your spousal benefits in plough volition be calculated based on this reduced amount, thereby reducing your monthly benefits.  If your spouse takes Social Security early, and y'all likewise have Social Security early on, you will exist significantly reducing the amount of benefits that may be paid out over your lifetime.  This is because the earlier you take your benefits before your full retirement age, the more your benefits are reduced.  For case, if your full retirement age were 66, then the following reductions to benefits would apply:

  • At age 65, you would receive 45.8% of your spouse'south benefit.
  • At age 64, yous would receive 41.7% of your spouse'southward benefit.
  • At age 63, you would receive 37.5% of your spouse'south do good.
  • At age 62, yous would receive 35% of your spouse's benefit.

Recent Changes to Claiming Strategies that Affect Spousal Benefits

In 2022, changes were made to Social Security that substantially concluded the selection to "file and suspend"—a strategy that allowed 1 spouse (the higher earner) to file for a retirement benefit at full retirement age and suspend (delay) receiving the benefit.  By filing for the benefit, the lower-earning spouse could then merits a spousal benefit.  The new laws too ended the ability to file a "restricted awarding" for spouse's benefits. This strategy applied to workers who reached full retirement age, and whose spouse was already receiving worker benefits. This allowed workers to file only for their spousal benefit while delaying their ain retirement benefits to historic period 70 in order to accrue delayed retirement credits and maximize benefits.  This strategy was commonly applied if the worker delaying retirement benefits would take a higher benefit based on their ain work record. In other words, they could receive their spousal do good while waiting for their ain benefit to grow. These options are no longer available for anyone who turned 66 after May 1, 2022.  As well important to notation: There were no changes to survivor benefit rules. Widows or widowers tin can still merits a survivor's benefit as early equally historic period sixty earlier they merits their ain worker benefit. Larn more about these changes in WISER'south fact canvass, Changes to Social Security Challenge Strategies .

Divorced Spouses

You can receive benefits as a divorced spouse on your ex-spouse's Social Security record, fifty-fifty if they remarried and their electric current spouse is collecting benefits based on their record.  However, there are a few eligibility requirements:

  • Yous must have been married to your ex-spouse for at least 10 years.
  • Y'all must be at least 62 years one-time. However, if your ex-spouse is deceased and you are currently unmarried, you lot may collect benefits equally early equally historic period 60 as a surviving divorced spouse.  If he or she is deceased and you lot are disabled, you tin can collect benefits equally early equally age 50.
  • Your ex-spouse must be eligible for benefits and currently receiving benefits for you to authorize for spousal benefits. If yous were born later Jan 1st, 1954, you will be required to claim all benefits at one time (both spousal and retirement) and receive whichever is college.
  • If you were born before January 2, 1954, you may still collect on an ex-spouse'southward tape first while allowing your ain benefits to abound so take your own benefits at historic period 70.
  • If your ex has reached retirement age and is eligible to receive retirement benefits but has not yet practical, you can still apply for ex-spousal benefits if y'all take been divorced for at least 2 years.
  • You must not be currently married. If you remarried and divorced your second spouse, yous tin can claim benefits from either your get-go or your second spouse as long as each marriage lasted at least 10 years.

Surviving Spouses

  • If your spouse passes abroad, y'all can collect survivor'southward benefits as early equally age 60. You are eligible to receive benefits based on his or her full Social Security benefit amount (but note that that amount will still be reduced if you lot merits the benefits before your own full retirement historic period.)
  • If your ex-spouse is deceased and y'all remarry earlier historic period lx (or 50 if you are disabled), you lot cannot receive survivor's benefits unless the latter matrimony ends (whether information technology exist through death, divorce, or annulment). If y'all remarry afterward age threescore, yous can continue to receive benefits on your former spouse's Social Security record.  However, if your current husband is too a Social Security casher and y'all would receive a larger benefit from your second spouse'due south work record than y'all would from your deceased spouse's record, you lot should apply for spousal benefits on your current spouse'southward record.  You cannot receive both benefits.
  • Regardless of your historic period or marital status, if you are caring for your deceased spouse'southward child or children, you would exist eligible to receive benefits for raising them until they are sixteen years old. These children can so continue to receive benefits based on your spouse's work tape until they are 18 or 19, as long every bit they are unmarried.  If a kid is notwithstanding a total-time student (no higher grade than grade 12) when they plough 18, they can continue to receive benefits until 2 months subsequently they turn 19 or until they graduate, whichever comes first.  Children who are disabled can as well go on to receive benefits after they turn eighteen years erstwhile.

Applying for Benefits

You can apply for benefits online past going to ssa.gov.  You can too apply over the telephone by calling 1-800-772-1213, or utilize in person by visiting your local Social Security part.

To brand the awarding process easier, you should know your spouse's (or ex-spouse's) date of birth and Social Security number.  You may too exist asked to provide certain documents as proof of eligibility, such equally your birth certificate or other proof of birth, naturalization papers, W-two forms, a marriage certificate, or divorce papers if you're applying as a divorced spouse.

Finally, brainwash yourself virtually your options and what benefits yous are eligible for earlier you claim. Unfortunately, there are cases where applicants receive misinformation from Social Security representatives; it is a complicated system and every person'due south situation is unique.  Acquire as much as you tin to maximize your benefit.

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