Can I claim spousal benefits if my husband is on SSDI? I'm already collecting Social Security

Yes, you CAN potentially receive spousal benefits even though your husband is on SSDI rather than regular retirement benefits! SSDI is treated the same as retirement benefits for spousal benefit purposes. Since your husband's benefit is so much higher than yours, you might be eligible for a spousal benefit that would bring your total up to 50% of his benefit amount. The catch is that since you're already collecting your own retirement, you'll only get the DIFFERENCE between your current benefit and half of his (if that amount is higher). You don't have to wait until he converts to regular Social Security at his full retirement age. Call SSA right away to apply!

Thank you! I had no idea SSDI was treated the same way. So if I understand correctly, I might get an additional amount on top of my current $1,100 that would bring me up to $1,400 (half of his $2,800)? That would be such a help with medical bills piling up.

my wife was in similar situation. she got her own SS then i got SSDI and she got extra $$ from mine even tho im younger then her. it was automatic for us they just sent letter and started paying more. might be different in ur state tho.

The spousal benefit process should be the same in all states since Social Security is a federal program. However, the SSA doesn't always automatically adjust benefits - particularly if you were already receiving your own retirement before your spouse began receiving SSDI. It's always best to contact them directly rather than assuming they'll make the adjustment automatically.

oh ok didnt know that. guess we got lucky then

WAIT! Be careful about applying for spousal benefits while already collecting your own SS! I tried this last year when my husband got on SSDI and it REDUCED my payment because of some complicated rule about when I filed for my own benefits!!! The SSA person told me I had filed during some \

You're mixing up two different situations. Restricted application rules affect people born before January 2, 1954 who want to file for spousal benefits WHILE DELAYING their own retirement benefits. Since the original poster is already receiving her own benefits, these rules don't apply to her situation. She would simply receive the higher of either her own benefit or the spousal benefit (effectively getting a \

Maybe that's it, but I still lost money somehow. The whole system is IMPOSSIBLE to understand and the people on the phone give different answers every time!!! All I know is I thought I'd get more $ and ended up with less.

I had EXACTLY this situation with my wife! Here's what you need to know: yes, you can get spousal benefits from your husband's SSDI. BUT, since you're already collecting your own retirement, you'll only get the difference between your benefit and 50% of his (if that 50% is higher). So quick math: 50% of his $2,800 is $1,400. Since you get $1,100, you might qualify for an additional $300 monthly. You need to apply though - they won't automatically give it to you. And good luck getting through to SSA to apply - I spent 3 weeks trying to get someone on the phone!

For getting through to SSA, I found this service called Claimyr that got me connected to an actual SSA agent in under 20 minutes after I'd been trying for days on my own. Check out their demo video at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - saved me so much frustration when I was dealing with my husband's SSDI application. Their website is claimyr.com - way better than waiting on hold for hours or getting disconnected.

Oh, that's really helpful! I've been dreading making that call because last time I needed to talk to SSA, I spent almost 2 hours on hold and then got disconnected. I'll check out that service for sure.

when my cousin got spousel benefits they took away her medicaid is that gonna happen to you too??

I'm on Medicare not Medicaid, so I don't think that would be an issue for me. But that's concerning for your cousin - did she get enough extra from the spousal benefits to make up for losing Medicaid?

This is mixing up two different issues. Spousal benefits through Social Security won't directly cause someone to lose Medicaid, but the additional income might put them over Medicaid's income limits. This is particularly important for people on SSI (Supplemental Security Income), which is different from SSDI or retirement benefits. For the original poster who's on Medicare and regular Social Security, this shouldn't be a concern.

oh yeah it was SSI not SSDI sorry i get them confused all the time

One important thing I forgot to mention - when you apply for the spousal benefit based on your husband's SSDI record, bring along documentation of both your benefits. I've seen cases where SSA representatives get confused about the rules when one person is on disability and the other on retirement. The key regulation is that SSDI benefits ARE treated as if they were full retirement benefits for spousal benefit calculations. Don't let them tell you that you have to wait until he reaches retirement age!

That's great advice, thank you! I'll gather both our benefit verification letters before I contact them. Is there a specific form I need to fill out to apply for the spousal benefit in this situation?

You'll want to call and specifically request to file for

Perfect, thank you so much for your help! I feel much more prepared now.

dont they do some kind of math with the primary insurance amount or something?? my brother tried to get spousal from his wifes record and they did some weird calculation with the PIA and then said he wasnt eligible cause of his own benefit. its all so confusing!!!

You're referring to the PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) calculation, which is correct. The spousal benefit is calculated as 50% of the higher-earning spouse's PIA. However, if you're already receiving your own retirement benefit, you'll only get the difference between your own benefit and the spousal benefit (if the spousal benefit is higher). There's no double-dipping - you get the higher of the two amounts, not both combined.

thx that makes more sense now. wish they would just explain it simple like that on their website!!

What about the earnings test?? If your husband is under FRA and getting SSDI, could that affect spousal benefits? My neighbor said something about this but I don't really understand it.

The earnings test doesn't apply to SSDI recipients because they've already been determined unable to engage in substantial gainful activity. The earnings test only affects people who take early retirement benefits (before FRA) and continue working. Since the husband is on SSDI, the earnings test wouldn't apply to his benefits or to any spousal benefits based on his record. That's one advantage of SSDI compared to early retirement benefits.

Oh that makes sense! So many confusing rules with all this stuff!!

I called SSA this morning and was finally able to get through after trying for two days. The representative confirmed what many of you said - I am eligible for additional spousal benefits based on my husband's SSDI record! They're going to process my application, and I should receive approximately $300 more per month (the difference between my benefit and 50% of his). Thank you all for your helpful advice - I would never have known to apply if not for this community!

That's excellent news! Be sure to follow up if you don't see the increase in your benefit within 60 days. Sometimes these adjustments can take a while to process, but they should backpay you to the date of your application if there's any delay. Congratulations on the successful outcome!

Will do! They said it might take 30-45 days for processing. The extra $300 will make a big difference for us.

Congratulations on getting this sorted out! Your success story will definitely help others in similar situations. I'm curious - when you called SSA, did they mention anything about whether the spousal benefit increase will be retroactive to when your husband first started receiving SSDI 8 months ago, or does it only start from when you applied? I know sometimes there can be retroactive payments depending on the timing, and this might be helpful information for others reading this thread who are in similar situations.

This is such valuable information for everyone! I'm in a very similar situation - my husband just got approved for SSDI last month and I've been on my own Social Security for about 3 years. My benefit is only $980 and his SSDI is $2,600, so I'm definitely going to apply for spousal benefits based on what I learned here. The math works out to potentially getting an extra $320 per month ($1,300 minus $980). I had no idea this was even possible until reading this thread. Thank you for sharing your experience and success story - it's given me hope that we can improve our financial situation too!

This has been such an informative thread! I work as a benefits counselor and wanted to add one more important point for anyone reading this. When applying for spousal benefits while already receiving your own Social Security, make sure to ask the SSA representative to confirm that your application won't negatively impact any other benefits you might be receiving. While spousal benefits themselves are straightforward, the additional income could potentially affect things like Medicare Part B premiums (IRMAA) if it pushes you into a higher income bracket. It's rare, but worth double-checking during your application call. The $300 extra monthly that TechNinja is getting is wonderful, but it's always good to understand the complete picture before making changes to your benefits!

As someone who went through a similar situation with my late husband, I wanted to share a few additional tips that might help others. When my husband was on SSDI and I applied for spousal benefits, the SSA initially told me I wasn't eligible because of some confusion about whether SSDI counts the same as retirement benefits (it does!). I had to speak with a supervisor to get it straightened out. Also, keep detailed records of all your conversations with SSA representatives - dates, times, and names if possible. I found that different representatives sometimes gave conflicting information, so having documentation helped when I needed to escalate. The whole process took about 6 weeks for me, but the retroactive payment back to my application date made it worthwhile. Don't give up if you hit roadblocks - persistence really pays off with Social Security issues!

This entire thread has been incredibly educational! I'm a financial planner and I see so many clients who are confused about spousal benefits, especially when one spouse is on SSDI. What I find most helpful about this discussion is how it clarifies that SSDI is treated exactly the same as retirement benefits for spousal benefit purposes - this is a crucial point that even some SSA representatives seem to get wrong sometimes. For anyone else reading this, I'd also recommend checking your my Social Security account online before calling, as it can give you exact benefit amounts and help you do the math beforehand. The formula is simple: if 50% of your spouse's benefit (whether SSDI or retirement) is higher than your own benefit, you're likely eligible for the difference. TechNinja's success story shows this system really does work when you know how to navigate it!

This thread has been so helpful! I'm actually in a reverse situation - I'm 63 and considering applying for SSDI due to chronic health issues, while my wife is already collecting her Social Security retirement benefits (she's 69). Her monthly benefit is only $1,200, but if I get approved for SSDI, my estimated benefit would be around $2,400. From reading all these responses, it sounds like she might be able to get spousal benefits based on my SSDI record once I'm approved, even though she's already on retirement benefits. Has anyone dealt with this reverse scenario where the younger spouse gets SSDI after the older spouse is already on retirement? I want to make sure I understand this correctly before going through the SSDI application process.

This has been such an incredibly informative discussion! As someone who works with seniors navigating Social Security benefits, I can't stress enough how valuable this real-world experience sharing is. What strikes me most is how TechNinja's success story demonstrates that persistence and knowledge really pay off - literally in this case! For anyone else reading this thread who might be in a similar situation, I'd add one more tip: if you're married and one spouse is receiving SSDI while the other is on retirement benefits, it's worth reviewing your situation annually. Sometimes people's circumstances change (like cost of living adjustments affecting benefit amounts) that could make spousal benefits newly available or more advantageous. Also, keep in mind that this spousal benefit eligibility works both ways - whether it's the older spouse on retirement and younger spouse on SSDI (like TechNinja's situation) or vice versa (like Dylan's upcoming situation). The $300 monthly increase TechNinja secured could amount to over $3,600 annually - that's significant money that many people are leaving on the table simply because they don't know these rules exist!