For many seniors, you can receive retirement benefits based on your spouse’s earning record if their earnings are higher than yours.
This means that you can receive your spouse’s benefits in addition to your own, as long as you apply.
To be eligible to receive the spousal benefits, you must be at least 62 years old or have a child in your care under the age of 16 or a child in your care who receives Social Security disability benefits.
The amount of the spousal benefit checks depends on many factors, including the worker’s lifetime earnings and how long they worked.
“The spousal benefit can be as much as half of the worker’s ‘primary insurance amount,’ depending on the spouse’s age at retirement,” according to the SSA.
The timing in which you claim benefits can also determine whether or not you can receive the maximum possible amount. It’s important to note that you won’t be able to claim spousal benefits until your partner starts collecting their own Social Security retirement money.
To determine the effect of early retirement on your spousal benefit, center your date of birth and the month you would like to begin receiving benefits on the SSA website, and the SSA will show you the effect as a percentage of the worker’s primary insurance amount.
If you’re eligible for a retirement benefit based on your own earnings that’s higher than the spousal benefit, then the SSA pays you the retirement benefit rather than the spousal benefit.
There’s no financial incentive to delay a spousal benefit past full retirement age because spousal benefits can’t grow.
So if your full retirement age is 67 and your spouse is already collecting Social Security by the time you reach that age, you might as well sign up.
APPLY FOR SPOUSAL BENEFITS
You can apply for spousal benefits on the SSA’s website, or by calling or visiting your local Social Security office.
You will need to provide any needed documents, which could include a form of ID, W-2 forms, a final divorce decree if applying as a divorced spouse, and a marriage certificate.
