Can my husband get higher Social Security through spousal benefits when he earns 50% less than me?

Yes, your husband might be eligible for spousal benefits, but there are important details to understand. When he files at 65, he'll be filing before his Full Retirement Age (FRA), which is 67 for people born in 1960 or later. This means: 1. He'll automatically receive whichever is higher: his own benefit or the spousal benefit (not both) 2. His spousal benefit would be up to 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), but reduced because he's filing before his FRA 3. Taking spousal benefits will NOT affect your benefit amount at all For him to receive spousal benefits, you must have already filed for your own retirement benefits. If you haven't filed yet, he can only claim on his own record until you do.

My husban was in the same boat!!! He made way less then me for 20 years. When he retired 2 years ago they looked at both his record and mine and just gave him the higher amount automatically. Didnt effect my benifits at ALL. But he had to wait till I filed for SS before he could get the spousal part. check with SSA theres lots of rules

The 50% spousal benefit is only the MAXIMUM you can get, and that's ONLY if you wait until your Full Retirement Age. If your husband claims at 65, he's going to get a permanently reduced amount - probably around 45.8% of your PIA instead of the full 50%. Also, Social Security doesn't just give you spousal benefits automatically. He will get the HIGHER of either his own benefit OR the spousal benefit (not both combined). So if his own benefit is higher than what he'd get as a spouse, the spousal benefit won't matter. Your own benefits won't be affected at all by him claiming spousal benefits.

I was in this EXACT situation two years ago! Tried calling Social Security for THREE WEEKS straight and could never get through!!! So frustrating. Finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an SSA agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent explained that my wife could get spousal benefits but only after I filed for my own benefits. And it didn't reduce my payment at all. Huge relief! Might be worth using that service to get clear answers for your specific situation rather than guessing.

My situation was a bit different but similar income difference with my wife. One thing nobody mentioned yet is that if your husband claims at 65, his benefit gets reduced by about 13.3% permanently from what he'd get at his full retirement age. AND if he eventually switches to spousal benefits, those will ALSO be permanently reduced because he claimed early. Claiming early isn't always bad though if you need the income now or have health concerns. Just be aware it's a PERMANENT reduction. And no, it won't affect your benefits at all.

Just to clarify a common confusion point: Your husband cannot file ONLY for spousal benefits while letting his own benefit grow. The "restricted application" option was eliminated for people born after January 1, 1954. When he files, he'll automatically receive the higher of: (1) his own reduced retirement benefit or (2) his reduced spousal benefit (which can only be paid if you've already filed). If you're waiting until your FRA to file, and he wants to retire at 65, he could: 1. Take his own reduced benefit at 65 2. When you file at your FRA, SSA will automatically adjust his payment if the spousal amount would be higher Your benefits will remain completely unaffected regardless of what he chooses.

dont forget about MEDICARE!!! he needs to sign up when he turns 65 even if he doesnt take SS yet or theres BIG penalties later!!

Also consider tax implications if you're still working. Up to 85% of Social Security benefits can be taxable if your combined income is high enough. Something to factor in when deciding when he should claim.