Social Security is a vital source of retirement income for most women.  For this reason, it is important to understand how the spousal benefit works and how it tin impact the amount of Social Security income yous receive.

As a spouse, you can merits a Social Security benefit based on your own earnings tape, or collect a spousal benefit in the amount of 50% of your spouse's Social Security benefit, but non both.  You are automatically entitled to receive whichever benefit provides you the higher monthly corporeality.  In lodge to qualify for Social Security spousal benefits, you must exist at least 62 years old and your spouse must also exist collecting his or her own benefits.  Additionally, if you are the higher earner, your spouse tin can apply to collect spousal benefits based on your work record.  Information technology is of import to note that challenge a spousal benefit does not impact the benefit 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 plough will be calculated based on this reduced corporeality, thereby reducing your monthly benefits.  If your spouse takes Social Security early, and y'all also take Social Security early, you will be significantly reducing the amount of benefits that may exist paid out over your lifetime.  This is because the before yous have your benefits before your total retirement age, the more your benefits are reduced.  For instance, if your full retirement age were 66, and so the following reductions to benefits would apply:

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

Contempo Changes to Challenge Strategies that Affect Spousal Benefits

In 2016, changes were made to Social Security that substantially ended the choice to "file and suspend"—a strategy that allowed one spouse (the higher earner) to file for a retirement benefit at full retirement age and append (delay) receiving the benefit.  By filing for the benefit, the lower-earning spouse could then claim a spousal benefit.  The new laws as well concluded the power 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 merely for their spousal do good while delaying their own retirement benefits to historic period 70 in order to accrue delayed retirement credits and maximize benefits.  This strategy was normally practical 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 bachelor for anyone who turned 66 after May one, 2016.  Also of import to annotation: In that location were no changes to survivor benefit rules. Widows or widowers can still claim a survivor's do good as early equally age lx earlier they claim their own worker benefit. Larn more than nearly these changes in WISER's fact sheet, Changes to Social Security Claiming 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 current spouse is collecting benefits based on their record.  However, there are a few eligibility requirements:

  • Y'all must take been married to your ex-spouse for at least 10 years.
  • You must be at least 62 years old. However, if your ex-spouse is deceased and you are currently unmarried, you lot may collect benefits as early as historic period 60 as a surviving divorced spouse.  If he or she is deceased and yous are disabled, yous tin collect benefits equally early as age 50.
  • Your ex-spouse must be eligible for benefits and currently receiving benefits for yous to qualify for spousal benefits. If you were built-in later on January 1st, 1954, y'all will be required to merits all benefits at one time (both spousal and retirement) and receive whichever is higher.
  • If y'all were born before January two, 1954, yous may withal collect on an ex-spouse's record first while allowing your own benefits to abound and then 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 applied, you tin still apply for ex-spousal benefits if y'all accept been divorced for at least two years.
  • Y'all must not be currently married. If yous remarried and divorced your 2d spouse, you can claim benefits from either your get-go or your 2d spouse as long as each marriage lasted at least x years.

Surviving Spouses

  • If your spouse passes away, y'all tin can collect survivor'south benefits as early equally age 60. You are eligible to receive benefits based on his or her full Social Security do good amount (but notation that that corporeality will still exist reduced if y'all merits the benefits before your own full retirement age.)
  • If your ex-spouse is deceased and yous remarry before age 60 (or fifty if you are disabled), you cannot receive survivor'due south benefits unless the latter marriage ends (whether it exist through death, divorce, or annulment). If you remarry after historic period 60, you tin can continue to receive benefits on your former spouse's Social Security record.  However, if your electric current husband is also a Social Security beneficiary and you would receive a larger benefit from your second spouse'south work record than you would from your deceased spouse'due south record, y'all should apply for spousal benefits on your current spouse's record.  You cannot receive both benefits.
  • Regardless of your age or marital status, if you 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 can then keep to receive benefits based on your spouse's work record until they are 18 or xix, every bit long every bit they are single.  If a child is all the same a full-time student (no higher class than grade 12) when they turn 18, they can continue to receive benefits until 2 months afterwards they turn xix or until they graduate, whichever comes first.  Children who are disabled tin also continue to receive benefits after they plow 18 years old.

Applying for Benefits

Yous can apply for benefits online past going to ssa.gov.  You tin likewise use over the telephone past calling 1-800-772-1213, or apply in person by visiting your local Social Security function.

To brand the awarding process easier, y'all should know your spouse's (or ex-spouse's) date of nascence and Social Security number.  You lot may as well be asked to provide certain documents equally proof of eligibility, such equally your birth document or other proof of nativity, naturalization papers, W-2 forms, a spousal relationship certificate, or divorce papers if you're applying as a divorced spouse.

Finally, brainwash yourself nearly your options and what benefits you lot are eligible for earlier you merits. Unfortunately, at that place are cases where applicants receive misinformation from Social Security representatives; it is a complicated organisation and every person's situation is unique.  Larn as much as you tin can to maximize your do good.

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