If your spouse is eligible, you're generally eligible for 1/2 their payment instead of one of your own. So if you never worked, or if the payment based on your work history is less than 1/2 your spouse's, you can receive social security based on your partner's work history.
In addition, to be eligible for spouse's benefits, you must be one of the following: 62 years of age or older. Any age if you have a child who is younger than 16 in your care or has a disability and is entitled to benefits on your spouse's record.
It does matter. As long as you both live until your wife reaches age 70 (and you reach age 77), there is a significant benefit for her to claim at 62 and you to delay until 70 rather than the reverse.
A wife with no work record or low benefit entitlement on her own work record is eligible for between one-third and one-half of her spouse's Social Security benefit.
Can you still receive Social Security as a stay-at-home mom or dad? The good news is you can. If you are a married person with little to no earnings history, you can receive a benefit up to half of your spouse's Social Security.
The first exception, which can be deemed as the Social Security spousal benefits loophole, works where an individual who remarries at 60 or later may still be entitled to Social Security survivors' benefits if the second marriage ends before the death of the first spouse.
Either spouse can maximize their regular Social Security benefit amount by waiting past their full-retirement age to apply, up to age 70. Benefits generally increase 8% each year filing is delayed.
Have you heard about the Social Security $16,728 yearly bonus? There's really no “bonus” that retirees can collect. The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a specific formula based on your lifetime earnings to determine your benefit amount.
The spousal benefit can be as much as half of the worker's "primary insurance amount," depending on the spouse's age at retirement. If the spouse begins receiving benefits before "normal (or full) retirement age," the spouse will receive a reduced benefit.
Spouses and ex-spouses
Payments start at 71.5% of your spouse's benefit and increase the longer you wait to apply. For example, you might get: Over 75% at age 61.
But even if you never worked and therefore don't have an earnings record, you're not necessarily out of luck. If you're married (or were married) to someone who's entitled to Social Security, you can collect spousal benefits equal to 50% of your husband or wife's benefits at full retirement age.
If you've been married multiple times, your current and former spouses could be eligible for Social Security benefits based on your earnings record, subject to certain requirements.
Can I Collect Half of My Spouse's Social Security at Age 62? Not quite. The percentage of your spouse's full retirement benefit that you receive could be as little as 32.5% at age 62. It steps up gradually to 50% as you near your full retirement age, which is 65, 66, or 67, depending on your birth year.
A married spouse without an earnings record (or whose record would result in a lower Social Security payment) can collect on his or her spouse's earnings record when his or her spouse turns 62. Collecting Social Security at 62 has some advantages.
If your spouse dies, do you get both Social Security benefits? You cannot claim your deceased spouse's benefits in addition to your own retirement benefits. Social Security only will pay one—survivor or retirement. If you qualify for both survivor and retirement benefits, you will receive whichever amount is higher.
Exactly how much in earnings do you need to get a $3,000 benefit? Well, you just need to have averaged about 70% of the taxable maximum. In our example case, that means that your earnings in 1983 were about $22,000 and increased every year to where they ended at about $100,000 at age 62.
The Social Security 5-year rule refers specifically to disability benefits. It requires that you must have worked five out of the last ten years immediately before your disability onset to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
A spouse who has never worked in paid jobs or has not worked to earn sufficient credits to be eligible for his/her own retired worker benefits can receive a spousal benefit that is 50 percent of the eligible worker's full benefit.
What the average couple gets from Social Security right now. The average monthly retirement benefit as of May 2024 is $1,917 per month. If both spouses qualified for this amount, their household monthly benefits would be $3,834 per month, or about $46,000 per year.
Bottom Line. Social Security for non-working spouses allows them to claim up to half of their partner's full retirement benefit. They can start receiving benefits at 62, but waiting until full retirement age increases the amount.
You would start with your retirement benefit. When your spouse applies, the SSA tops off your current amount with an excess spousal benefit. The excess spousal benefit = (max spousal) - (your retirement benefit at FRA). After your spouse applies, the new total amount = (your current benefit) + (excess spousal benefit).
To qualify to get $144 added back to your Social Security check, you can enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan that offers a Part B premium reduction or giveback benefit.
If your spouse is not receiving any retirement benefits yet, then you could technically take your regular Social Security benefit as early as age 62. When your spouse files for their benefit later you could switch to spousal benefits.