Can my spouse get Social Security benefits with less than 40 credits while I'm collecting?

yes she can get benefits on your record! my wife is getting spousal benefits right now. she worked as a sahm most of our marriage. think its around 50% of what im getting but SSA will calculate the exact amount

Yes, your wife can definitely claim spousal benefits based on your work record, even without having 40 credits of her own. This is a common situation for couples where one spouse worked significantly more than the other. Here's how it works: - The maximum spousal benefit is 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) at your wife's Full Retirement Age (FRA) - If she claims before her FRA, the amount will be permanently reduced - At age 65, she's already close to her FRA (likely 66 and a few months, depending on birth year) - She needs to wait until you've filed for your benefits before she can claim spousal benefits Also important: If your wife did earn some credits, SSA will pay her own retirement benefit first, then supplement it with the spousal benefit to bring her up to the 50% level if applicable.

SSI and SSDI are TOTALLY different from retirement benefits!!! make sure you apply for the right thing or they'll deny you!!

Just went through this with my parents! Mom never worked enough for her own benefits. Dad started his retirement benefits last year, and Mom got spousal benefits. The exact percentage depends on when she files relative to her FRA (Full Retirement Age). At full retirement age, it's 50% of your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount). One thing to consider - if she files before reaching her full retirement age, her spousal benefit will be permanently reduced. The reduction is approximately 25/36 of 1% for each month before FRA, up to 36 months, and then 5/12 of 1% beyond that. Also, something many people don't realize - even if you file after your FRA (delayed retirement), her spousal benefit is still based on your PIA, not your increased benefit amount. So your decision to delay past FRA doesn't increase her spousal amount.

My husband and I did this last year. It works but getting through to SSA is IMPOSSIBLE!!! I tried calling for WEEKS and either got busy signals or was on hold for 2+ hours only to get disconnected. Completely frustrating experience!!!

DONT LISTEN TO THESE PEOPLE!!! My wife tried to do this and they DENIED her because we were only married 9 years and you need TEN YEARS OF MARRIAGE to qualify!!! They never tell you this until its TOO LATE!!!

Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! Sounds like my wife definitely qualifies for the spousal benefit. Just to confirm what I've learned: 1) She can get up to 50% of my PIA at her full retirement age 2) Since she's 65 now and her FRA is probably 66+, she'd get slightly less if she applies immediately after I do 3) She needs to wait until I've filed before she can apply 4) The 10-year marriage rule doesn't apply to us since we're still married. This has been super helpful as we plan our retirement strategy for next year!

Welcome to the community! Based on what everyone has shared, it sounds like you have a solid understanding of how spousal benefits work. One additional thing to keep in mind - if your wife does have some work credits (even if less than 40), Social Security will automatically calculate both her own potential benefit and the spousal benefit, then pay whichever is higher. So she might get a small amount based on her own work record plus a spousal supplement to reach that 50% level. The SSA representative will handle all these calculations for you when you apply. Best of luck with your retirement planning!

Just want to add one more practical tip from my experience helping my parents through this process - when you're ready to apply, consider scheduling an appointment at your local Social Security office rather than trying to do everything online or over the phone. The representatives there can walk you through both applications at the same time and make sure all the paperwork is correct. They'll also be able to give you exact benefit amounts based on your specific earnings records. My mom was pleasantly surprised that her spousal benefit ended up being slightly higher than the estimate we calculated ourselves because of some nuances in how they compute the numbers. The in-person approach took about an hour but saved us a lot of back-and-forth later. Good luck with your retirement!

As someone who just went through this process with my own spouse last year, I can confirm everything others have shared here is accurate! Your wife absolutely qualifies for spousal benefits on your record. One thing I'd add that helped us is to gather all your documents early - marriage certificate, both of your Social Security cards, and any W-2s or tax returns from your wife's working years (even part-time work). Having everything organized made the application much smoother. Also, don't stress too much about the exact calculations - the SSA representatives are really good at explaining the numbers and will show you exactly what to expect before you finalize anything. The fact that you're planning this out a year in advance puts you in a great position!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation with my husband - he's been the primary earner while I stayed home with our kids and only worked sporadically. Reading through all these responses has really clarified the spousal benefits process for me. One thing I wanted to add is that you might also want to check if your wife is eligible for any pension benefits from previous employers, even from part-time work. Sometimes those smaller benefits can affect how Social Security calculates things due to the Windfall Elimination Provision or Government Pension Offset, though this mainly applies to government pensions. It's probably not relevant in your case, but worth double-checking just to be thorough in your planning. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is such a great resource!

Welcome to the community! I'm new here but wanted to share that I'm in a very similar situation - my husband will be eligible for Social Security next year and I've only worked part-time over the years. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational! It's so helpful to see real experiences from people who have actually navigated this process. One thing I learned from a friend who went through this recently is that it's worth creating your my Social Security account online now if you haven't already - it lets you see your earnings history and can help verify that all your part-time work credits are properly recorded. Sometimes employers didn't report earnings correctly years ago, and it's easier to fix those issues before you apply. Thanks to everyone who has shared their knowledge here - this thread is going to be such a valuable reference as we plan our own retirement strategy!

As someone new to this community, I just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm facing a similar situation with my partner who has limited work history, and seeing all the detailed experiences shared here has really helped me understand the spousal benefits process. One thing I'd add for anyone in a similar position is to also consider the timing of when you both apply - I learned from talking to a financial advisor that there can be some strategic advantages to coordinating the timing, especially if one spouse is younger and might benefit from waiting closer to their full retirement age. But the most important takeaway I'm getting from everyone's experiences is that the spousal benefit system really does work as designed to help couples where one person was the primary earner. It's reassuring to see so many success stories! Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their knowledge and experiences.

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to thank everyone for sharing such detailed and helpful information about spousal Social Security benefits! I'm in a similar situation where my spouse has limited work history, and reading through all these real-world experiences has been incredibly valuable. One thing I'd like to add based on my research is that it's also worth understanding the "deemed filing" rules that apply to spousal benefits. If your wife applies for spousal benefits and has any of her own work credits (even if less than 40), Social Security will automatically consider her to be filing for both her own retirement benefit AND spousal benefits, then pay the higher of the two amounts. This is different from some other Social Security claiming strategies and means she can't choose to delay her own benefit while claiming spousal benefits. It sounds like this won't be an issue for most people in this thread since the spousal benefit will likely be higher anyway, but it's good to understand how the system works. Thanks again to everyone who has shared their experiences - this community is such a great resource for navigating these important retirement decisions!

As a newcomer to this community, I've been following this incredibly helpful discussion about spousal Social Security benefits! I'm in a very similar situation - my husband will be eligible to start collecting next year, and I've only worked part-time over the years with nowhere near 40 credits. Reading through everyone's experiences has been so reassuring and educational. One thing I wanted to add from my own research is about the application timing - I learned that while your wife needs to wait until you've filed to apply for spousal benefits, she can actually start the application process a few months before she wants benefits to begin. The SSA allows you to apply up to 4 months in advance, which can help avoid any delays in getting that first payment. This might be especially helpful since you mentioned planning to start in May - she could potentially get her application in early to ensure everything processes smoothly. Thanks to everyone who has shared their knowledge and experiences here - this thread has been invaluable for understanding how this all works in practice, not just in theory!

Welcome to the community! As a newcomer, I've been reading through this incredibly thorough discussion and wanted to add one more practical consideration that might be helpful. Since you mentioned your wife is 65 and will likely need to wait until after you file in May, it might be worth checking what her exact Full Retirement Age is based on her birth year. For someone who is 65 now, her FRA could be anywhere from 66 to 66 and 8 months depending on when she was born in 1959 or 1960. This timing could affect whether it makes sense for her to apply right after you do in May or wait a bit longer to avoid the early filing reduction. The SSA website has a calculator that shows exact FRA dates, and even a few months difference could impact her benefit amount. Also, I wanted to echo what others have said about gathering documents early - having everything organized will definitely make the process smoother when you're ready to apply. Thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences here - this thread has been incredibly educational for those of us planning ahead!

As someone new to this community, I wanted to jump in and say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! My husband and I are in a very similar situation - he's planning to start collecting Social Security next year, and I've only worked part-time over the years with limited credits. Reading through everyone's real experiences and practical advice has been so reassuring. One thing I learned from a recent SSA workshop is that when you're both ready to apply, it can be helpful to bring a list of questions with you to the appointment. Things like "What if my earnings record is missing some years?" or "How will this affect our Medicare timing?" Having those questions written down beforehand helps ensure you don't forget to ask about important details when you're sitting there with all the paperwork. Thanks to everyone who has shared their knowledge here - this thread is going to be such a valuable resource as we navigate our own retirement planning process!

Welcome to the community! As a newcomer here, I've been following this amazing discussion and wanted to share something that might be helpful. My parents went through this exact process two years ago, and one thing they learned is to make copies of all your documents before you go to your SSA appointment. The representative they worked with was great, but she needed to keep copies of several documents, and having duplicates on hand saved them from having to make a second trip. Also, if you're planning to apply online initially, make sure you have digital copies or photos of your marriage certificate and other key documents saved on your phone or computer - the online system sometimes asks for uploads. The whole spousal benefits process really does work well once you get through the paperwork, and it sounds like you have a great understanding of how it all fits together. Best of luck with your retirement planning - this thread shows what a supportive community this is for navigating these important decisions!