Social Security is a vital source of retirement income for most women.  For this reason, it is of import to understand how the spousal benefit works and how it can bear upon the amount of Social Security income you receive.

As a spouse, yous 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's Social Security benefit, simply not both.  You are automatically entitled to receive whichever do good provides yous the higher monthly amount.  In social club to qualify for Social Security spousal benefits, y'all must exist at least 62 years onetime and your spouse must likewise be collecting his or her ain benefits.  Additionally, if you are the higher earner, your spouse tin apply to collect spousal benefits based on your work tape.  It is important to annotation that claiming a spousal do good does not bear upon the do good amount received by the worker whose earning record is being 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 turn will be calculated based on this reduced corporeality, thereby reducing your monthly benefits.  If your spouse takes Social Security early, and you as well take Social Security early on, you will be significantly reducing the amount of benefits that may be paid out over your lifetime.  This is because the earlier y'all take your benefits before your total retirement age, the more your benefits are reduced.  For instance, if your full retirement age were 66, so the following reductions to benefits would apply:

  • At age 65, you would receive 45.8% of your spouse's benefit.
  • At age 64, you would receive 41.seven% of your spouse's benefit.
  • At historic period 63, you would receive 37.v% of your spouse'due south do good.
  • At historic period 62, yous would receive 35% of your spouse'southward benefit.

Recent Changes to Claiming Strategies that Affect Spousal Benefits

In 2022, changes were made to Social Security that substantially ended the selection to "file and suspend"—a strategy that allowed ane spouse (the higher earner) to file for a retirement benefit at full retirement historic period and suspend (delay) receiving the benefit.  By filing for the benefit, the lower-earning spouse could so claim a spousal benefit.  The new laws too ended the ability to file a "restricted application" 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 but for their spousal benefit while delaying their own retirement benefits to age 70 in order to accrue delayed retirement credits and maximize benefits.  This strategy was ordinarily applied if the worker delaying retirement benefits would have a higher benefit based on their own work record. In other words, they could receive their spousal benefit while waiting for their own do good to grow. These options are no longer available for anyone who turned 66 after May 1, 2022.  Likewise important to note: There were no changes to survivor benefit rules. Widows or widowers can still claim a survivor'south benefit as early on equally age 60 before they claim their own worker benefit. Learn more than well-nigh these changes in WISER'south fact sheet, Changes to Social Security Challenge Strategies .

Divorced Spouses

You tin can receive benefits as a divorced spouse on your ex-spouse'southward Social Security record, even if they remarried and their current spouse is collecting benefits based on their record.  Even so, there are a few eligibility requirements:

  • Y'all must have been married to your ex-spouse for at least 10 years.
  • You must be at least 62 years old. Notwithstanding, if your ex-spouse is deceased and y'all are currently single, you lot may collect benefits as early every bit age sixty every bit a surviving divorced spouse.  If he or she is deceased and yous are disabled, you can collect benefits as early equally age 50.
  • Your ex-spouse must be eligible for benefits and currently receiving benefits for you lot to qualify for spousal benefits. If you lot were born after January 1st, 1954, yous will be required to claim all benefits at ane fourth dimension (both spousal and retirement) and receive whichever is higher.
  • If you were born before January two, 1954, you lot may even so collect on an ex-spouse's record first while allowing your own benefits to abound and then have your ain benefits at age lxx.
  • If your ex has reached retirement age and is eligible to receive retirement benefits but has not however applied, yous can even so employ for ex-spousal benefits if you accept been divorced for at least two years.
  • Yous must not be currently married. If you remarried and divorced your second spouse, you can claim benefits from either your kickoff or your second spouse as long as each marriage lasted at least 10 years.

Surviving Spouses

  • If your spouse passes away, you can collect survivor's benefits as early on every bit historic period 60. You are eligible to receive benefits based on his or her full Social Security benefit amount (simply note that that amount will still be reduced if you merits the benefits before your own full retirement age.)
  • If your ex-spouse is deceased and yous remarry before age lx (or 50 if you are disabled), you cannot receive survivor's benefits unless the latter spousal relationship ends (whether it exist through death, divorce, or annulment). If you lot remarry later on historic period 60, you can continue to receive benefits on your sometime spouse'southward Social Security tape.  However, if your current husband is besides a Social Security beneficiary and you would receive a larger benefit from your second spouse's piece of work record than yous would from your deceased spouse's record, you should apply for spousal benefits on your current spouse's tape.  You cannot receive both benefits.
  • Regardless of your age or marital condition, if yous are caring for your deceased spouse's child or children, you would be eligible to receive benefits for raising them until they are 16 years old. These children tin then continue to receive benefits based on your spouse'south piece of work record until they are xviii or 19, every bit long every bit they are unmarried.  If a child is withal a full-time student (no college course than course 12) when they plough 18, they can continue to receive benefits until 2 months after they turn 19 or until they graduate, whichever comes offset.  Children who are disabled can also go along to receive benefits after they turn xviii years one-time.

Applying for Benefits

Yous tin utilise for benefits online past going to ssa.gov.  You tin too use over the telephone by calling i-800-772-1213, or utilize in person by visiting your local Social Security office.

To make the application process easier, you should know your spouse'southward (or ex-spouse's) date of birth and Social Security number.  You may besides be asked to provide certain documents as proof of eligibility, such every bit your birth certificate or other proof of nascence, naturalization papers, Westward-2 forms, a marriage document, or divorce papers if you're applying as a divorced spouse.

Finally, educate yourself well-nigh your options and what benefits you are eligible for earlier you claim. Unfortunately, at that place are cases where applicants receive misinformation from Social Security representatives; it is a complicated system and every person's state of affairs is unique.  Acquire as much as you tin to maximize your benefit.

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