Can my wife claim Social Security spousal benefits without full 40 quarters? She has 37 credits

Good news! Your wife can absolutely claim spousal benefits on your record without having the full 40 quarters needed for her own retirement benefit. The 40 quarters (10 years) requirement only applies if she wants to claim benefits based on her own work record. For spousal benefits, she just needs to be married to you for at least one year, which you've obviously exceeded at 35 years! She can apply for spousal benefits as early as age 62 (though with a reduction), or wait until her Full Retirement Age (probably 66 and 4 months based on her birth year) to get the full 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount. Since you're already collecting, she can apply anytime now.

Your freinds are WRONG it depends on which benefit!!!! My sister went through something similar. She had only like 8 years of work and they told her she could get spousal but not her own benefit. But be careful because they might try to tell her different things depending on who answers the phone!!!

The previous responses are correct - your wife can claim spousal benefits without having 40 quarters of her own. However, there's something else to consider: if she works just 3 more quarters and gets those final credits, she might actually qualify for a higher benefit on her own record depending on her earnings history. It might be worth it for her to work just enough to reach 40 quarters if she can find something part-time. Also, when she applies, the SSA will compare what she'd get as a spouse (up to 50% of your PIA) versus what she'd get on her own record, and give her whichever is higher. They don't stack or combine these amounts. Since she's not yet at her Full Retirement Age (FRA), if she applies now, her spousal benefit would be reduced. At 64, she'd get approximately 41.7% of your PIA instead of the full 50%.

@MarcoSteiner One more important thing: when your wife applies, SSA will automatically calculate both her own retirement benefit (if she has enough quarters) AND her spousal benefit, then pay the higher of the two. This is called "deemed filing" - you're deemed to file for all benefits you're eligible for at the same time. She doesn't need to file separate applications. However, it's still a good idea to specifically mention during the application process that she's interested in spousal benefits, just to make sure nothing gets overlooked.

my wife only had 7 years of work and got spousal benefits no problem. but you should know they take forever to process applications these days!!! we waited almost 5 months last year!!!

If you're having trouble getting through to Social Security on the phone, I highly recommend using Claimyr. After spending literally WEEKS trying to get through the regular SSA phone line, I found this service that got me connected to a real person at SSA in under 20 minutes. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - it basically navigates the phone tree and waits on hold for you, then calls you when an agent is ready. Saved me hours of frustration when my wife applied for spousal benefits last year. Their website is claimyr.com

To summarize the information shared so far and add a few details: 1. Your wife CAN receive spousal benefits without having 40 quarters of coverage on her own record. This is a common misconception. 2. If she applies now at age 64, her spousal benefit will be permanently reduced because she's before her Full Retirement Age (FRA). The reduction is approximately 8.33% per year before FRA. 3. If she waits until her FRA (likely 66 and 4 months based on her birth year), she'll receive 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). 4. If she does work those extra 3 quarters and qualifies for her own benefit, SSA will pay the higher amount between her own benefit and the spousal benefit (not both). 5. There is no advantage to her filing for her own reduced benefit now and then switching to spousal benefits later - the deemed filing rules prevent this strategy for anyone born after January 1, 1954. Lastly, when she does apply, make sure she has her marriage certificate, both your Social Security numbers, and bank account information for direct deposit.

@RetireeQuestions The rules changed in 2015 with the Bipartisan Budget Act. Before that, people born before January 2, 1954 could file a "restricted application" for just spousal benefits at FRA while letting their own benefit grow, then switch later. That strategy is no longer available for people born after January 1, 1954 (which includes your wife at age 64). Your neighbor likely fell under the old rules.

Thank you all for the helpful information! This clears up so much confusion. I think my wife will apply for spousal benefits soon, but we'll calculate whether waiting until her FRA makes more financial sense given the permanent reduction. Good to know she doesn't need those extra quarters for spousal benefits, but interesting to consider if working just a bit more to get her own benefit might be worthwhile. I'll definitely use that Claimyr service when we're ready to apply - those wait times were my biggest concern!

One thing to consider that hasn't been mentioned yet - if your wife does decide to work those additional 3 quarters to qualify for her own benefits, she should be aware of the earnings test if she claims benefits before her FRA. Since she's 64, if she starts collecting spousal benefits now AND works, any earnings over $23,400 (2024 limit) will reduce her benefits by $1 for every $2 earned above that threshold. This doesn't apply once she reaches FRA. So if she's planning to work anyway to get those final quarters, it might make sense to wait until FRA to start collecting to avoid any earnings test complications.