Can my wife get spousal benefits if her SS retirement is $800 and mine will be $3400 at FRA?
Need advice on spousal benefits! My wife and I have been married for over 40 years. She was mostly a stay-at-home mom but did have enough work credits to qualify for Social Security. She started collecting at 62 and is now 72, receiving about $800 monthly. I'm reaching my full retirement age in May 2025 and will be eligible for about $3,400 per month. I'm wondering how much additional money my wife could get as a spousal benefit on top of her own benefit? Does she automatically get the spousal top-up when I file, or do we need to apply separately for that? I've heard she might be eligible for up to 50% of my benefit minus her own, but I'm not sure if that's correct since she took her benefits early. Thanks for any help!
19 comments
Join the conversation
Olivia Clark
Your wife should be eligible for a spousal benefit equal to the difference between her current benefit and 50% of your FRA benefit. So if your FRA benefit is $3,400, 50% would be $1,700. Since she's already receiving $800 from her own record, she could receive approximately $900 in spousal benefits ($1,700 - $800). The SSA will automatically calculate this when you file for your retirement benefits - she doesn't need to file a separate application. The fact that she claimed early doesn't affect the spousal benefit calculation at this point since she's past her own FRA.
0 coins
Yara Assad
•Thank you! That's really helpful. So just to be clear, once I file in May 2025, her total monthly payment would increase to $1,700 total? And we don't need to do anything special to make this happen?
0 coins
Javier Morales
my wife got the spousal benefit last year and it was way less than we thought it would be!!!! call SSA before you make plans because they take more out for her claiming early than what they tell you!!
0 coins
Olivia Clark
•That's not quite right. While early claiming reduces her own benefit permanently, since she's now past her FRA (being 72), the early claiming reduction only applies to her own benefit. The spousal add-on would be calculated based on the difference between her reduced benefit and 50% of the husband's PIA.
0 coins
Natasha Petrov
I was in almost the exact same situation as you! My wife claimed at 62 and I waited until FRA. When I finally claimed at 66 and 4 months (my FRA), she automatically got the spousal top-up the following month. The amount was exactly the difference between her reduced benefit and half of mine. In your case, that would be about $900 extra per month. The SSA should make this adjustment automatically, but I'd recommend checking your online accounts after you file to make sure it happens.
0 coins
Yara Assad
•That's reassuring to hear from someone who's been through it. I'll definitely keep an eye on our accounts to make sure the adjustment happens. Did it take long for your wife's benefit to adjust after you filed?
0 coins
Natasha Petrov
•It showed up on her next payment - so about a month after I filed. The MySocialSecurity account updated before the payment arrived showing the new amount. Really smooth process compared to some other SS stuff we've dealt with!
0 coins
Connor O'Brien
wait i'm confused... does the wife get extra money or does she just get half of his benefit instead of her own benefit? my uncle told me you only get one benefit not both
0 coins
Amina Diallo
•Your uncle is partially right - you don't get both benefits in full, but you can get a combination. She'll continue receiving her own $800 benefit, plus SSA will add enough to bring her total to 50% of her husband's benefit (so about $900 more in this case). The total would be $1,700. It's not two separate payments, just an increased monthly amount.
0 coins
GamerGirl99
If you're having trouble getting through to SSA about this (and trust me, it can take HOURS), I used a service called Claimyr that got me connected to a real person at Social Security in under 10 minutes. I was checking on my wife's spousal benefits too and needed clarification on some things. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - it saved me a ton of frustration when I was trying to sort out our benefits. Just make sure you have all your questions ready when you call!
0 coins
Yara Assad
•Thanks for the tip! I've tried calling SSA before and gave up after being on hold forever. I'll check out that service if I need to call them.
0 coins
Hiroshi Nakamura
CAREFUL!! I think there are some rules about when she can get the spousal benefit. My sister applied for the spousal when her husband retired and they told her she wasn't eligible for some reason I forgot. Something about WEP or GPO maybe?? Make sure your wife doesnt have any govt pension that could affect this.
0 coins
Olivia Clark
•You're thinking of the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which reduces spousal benefits if someone receives a pension from government work where they didn't pay Social Security taxes. Based on the original post, it doesn't sound like this would apply to them since the wife already qualifies for her own Social Security benefit of $800.
0 coins
Amina Diallo
I'd like to add one important point: the adjustment for your wife should happen automatically when you file for your retirement benefits, but it's always good to specifically mention to SSA that your wife should receive the spousal benefit when you file. Sometimes these automatic adjustments don't process correctly. Also, keep in mind that since your wife's current benefit of $800 likely reflects the reduction for claiming at 62, that early claiming reduction will continue to affect her overall benefit. The spousal add-on calculation is based on the difference between her reduced benefit and half of your FRA amount.
0 coins
Yara Assad
•That's good advice about specifically mentioning it when I file. I definitely don't want anything to fall through the cracks. Is there a specific form we should fill out, or do I just mention it during my application process?
0 coins
Amina Diallo
•Just mention it during your application process. There's actually a question about current marital status and whether your spouse receives benefits already. Make sure to have your wife's Social Security number handy. The representative should handle the rest, but it never hurts to specifically say, "My wife should receive the spousal benefit increase when my retirement starts."
0 coins
Natasha Petrov
One more thing! When your wife starts receiving the spousal benefits, they'll be subject to the same taxation rules as other Social Security benefits. Depending on your combined income, up to 85% of Social Security benefits may be taxable. Just something to factor into your retirement budget planning for next year.
0 coins
Connor O'Brien
•wait they tax social security?? i thought that money was already taxed when we earned it! thats double taxation!
0 coins
Olivia Clark
•Social Security benefits can be taxable if your combined income exceeds certain thresholds. It's not double taxation in the traditional sense - only a portion of benefits become taxable (up to 85%) when your income exceeds certain levels. For married couples filing jointly, taxation begins when combined income exceeds $32,000. This is definitely something to discuss with a tax professional when planning retirement finances.
0 coins