Social Security not only provides retirement benefits based on your own work history but also offers important financial support for spouses, including those who have worked little or never worked outside the home.
Understanding how these benefits work is key to secure financial planning for your family.
Below are the benefits available for current spouses, ex-spouses, and surviving spouses.
Benefits for Current Spouses
If you are married to someone who is entitled to Social Security retirement or disability benefits, you may also be eligible to receive benefits.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Your spouse (the worker) must already be receiving their own retirement or disability benefits.
- You must meet one of the following conditions:
- Be at least 62 years old.
- Be caring for a child of the worker who is under 16 or has a disability and receives Social Security benefits.
How Much Can You Receive?
- The maximum amount you can receive as a spouse is 50% of your working spouse’s full retirement benefit amount.
- Important: You only receive this 50% if you wait until reaching your own full retirement age (generally between 66 and 67, depending on your birth year) to claim it.
- If you claim benefits before your full retirement age (starting at age 62), the amount will be permanently reduced. For example, at age 62, the benefit may be reduced to as little as 32.5% of your spouse’s amount.
If You Also Worked:
Social Security will always pay your own retirement benefit first. If the benefit you are entitled to as a spouse is greater than your own benefit, you will receive a combination of both that equals the higher amount. You do not receive both benefits in full.
Benefits for Divorced Spouses
You may be entitled to receive benefits based on your ex-spouse’s work record, even if he or she has remarried.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Your marriage must have lasted at least 10 years.
- You must be at least 62 years old.
- You must not currently be married.
- Your ex-spouse must be entitled to receive Social Security retirement or disability benefits.
A key advantage is that you can receive these benefits even if your ex-spouse has not yet started receiving them, as long as he or she is at least 62 years old and you have been divorced for at least two years.
Benefit Amount:
The calculation is the same as for a current spouse, with a maximum of 50% of your ex-spouse’s benefit if you wait until your full retirement age. The fact that you receive benefits as an ex-spouse does not affect the amount of your ex-spouse’s benefit or that of their current spouse.
Benefits for Surviving Spouses (Widows/Widowers)
If your spouse passes away, you may be entitled to receive survivor benefits based on their work record. These benefits are often more generous.
Eligibility Requirements and Benefit Amount:
- Starting at age 60 (or 50 if disabled): You may receive a reduced benefit.
- At full retirement age: You generally receive 100% of your deceased spouse’s basic benefit amount.
- At any age, if caring for a child of the deceased under age 16: You may receive 75% of the worker’s benefit amount.
Remarrying:
- If you remarry before age 60 (50 if disabled), you generally cannot receive survivor benefits.
- If you remarry after age 60 (50 if disabled), your new marriage will not affect your right to survivor benefits based on your deceased spouse’s record.
How to Apply for Benefits
To apply for any of these benefits, you must contact the Social Security Administration (SSA).
- Online: You can find information and, in some cases, start your application on the official website: www.ssa.gov.
- By phone: Call 1-800-772-1213 (press 7 for Spanish). If you are deaf or hard of hearing, call TTY 1-800-325-0778.
- In person: You can schedule an appointment at your local Social Security office.
It is recommended to have documents such as your birth certificate, marriage certificate, and, if applicable, your divorce decree or your spouse’s death certificate on hand.
