Can my ex-military husband with no SS credits claim Social Security through me?

Yes, your husband can potentially claim spousal benefits on your Social Security record even though he has a military pension. This is because military service members who began service after 1956 have been paying into Social Security, but he might not have enough credits on his own. However, there's an important distinction to understand: the Government Pension Offset (GPO) that you mentioned typically applies to government pensions from work not covered by Social Security. Military pensions are different because military service after 1956 IS covered by Social Security. So, when your husband reaches his full retirement age (FRA), he could be eligible for up to 50% of your primary insurance amount (PIA) as a spousal benefit, assuming you're also claiming your benefits. The military pension shouldn't reduce this amount through GPO.

I was in a similar situation with my husband who was career Air Force. I had worked in healthcare for 35 years while he served. When I turned 62 last year, we discovered that he could indeed claim spousal benefits on my record despite his military pension! It was actually pretty simple once we finally got through to someone at SSA who could explain it properly. Honestly, getting accurate information was the hardest part. We tried calling SSA for WEEKS without getting through. The wait times were insane, and we kept getting disconnected. Finally we tried this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got us connected to an actual SSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once we got through, the agent confirmed that military pensions don't trigger the GPO since military service after 1956 is covered employment under Social Security. Your husband should definitely be eligible for spousal benefits!

Military pension is different from CSRS civil service pension when it comes to Social Security!!! I learned this the hard way. My first husband was military (Navy), and when I started collecting SS retirement, he was able to get spousal benefits without any reduction. But my second husband worked for the postal service under the old CSRS system, and when he tried to claim on my record, they reduced his benefit by 2/3 of his government pension because of the GPO. So frustrating!!! But your situation with the military husband should be fine. Just make sure he doesn't have any other non-covered government work that might trigger the GPO.

wait i thought everybody who gets a government pension cant get social security? my uncle worked for the city for 30 years and he got almost nothing from SS even tho his wife got a lot. something about windfall offset?

My husband was Navy for 22 years and i worked as a nurse. When i turned 66 (my FRA) he was able to get husband benefits on my record even tho he gets his military retirement. Make sure your husband applies right after you start your benefits - they don't make it automatic!!!

has your husband checked if he has ANY ss credits? a lot of military people work part time jobs or after retiring from service and might have some credits. my dad was army for 30 yrs but worked retail after and got enough credits for a small ss benefit plus still got some extra from my moms record

To clarify a few technical points regarding military service and Social Security: 1. Military service members have paid into Social Security since 1957 (with contributions mandated by the 1956 amendments to the Social Security Act). 2. Your husband can receive up to 50% of your primary insurance amount (PIA) if he claims at his full retirement age. If he claims earlier, this amount will be reduced. 3. The Government Pension Offset (GPO) only applies to government pensions based on work not covered by Social Security. Military service is covered employment. 4. The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) could apply if your husband has enough Social Security credits from other work to qualify for his own benefit, but this would affect his own benefit calculation, not spousal benefits. 5. If your husband has even a small Social Security benefit from other work, he would receive the higher of either his own benefit or the spousal benefit (not both). I recommend creating my Social Security accounts for both of you to see his earnings record and get personalized benefit estimates.

Another thing to consider - if your husband served prior to 2001, he might actually have what are called "special credits" that could help him qualify for SS benefits on his own record. Military personnel who served between 1957-2001 received additional Social Security wage credits. These extra credits sometimes push military retirees over the threshold to qualify for their own benefits. You can check if he has these extra military credits by requesting his earnings record from SSA. But either way, he should be able to claim on your record regardless!

OMG ppl are so lucky with military pensions! My dad worked for the county for 35 years and gets a good pension but when he tried to get any SS from my moms record they said nope because of that GPO thing. makes no sense why military is treated different from other govt workers!