Confusion about spousal Social Security benefits - can wife claim on my record before I apply at age 70?
I'm completely baffled by conflicting Social Security spousal benefit advice. My wife (67) and I (68.5) are both retired teachers. She's already collecting her own Social Security retirement benefits based on her work history outside teaching. Yesterday, her friend insisted my wife could apply NOW for spousal benefits under my work record, even though I haven't filed for my own benefits yet (planning to wait until 70 for maximum credits). The friend claimed SS would just 'adjust it' when I file in about 18 months. This contradicts everything I've researched - I thought spouses could only claim on their partner's record AFTER the primary earner files. Adding to my confusion, we're not even sure if my wife's current benefit is higher than what she'd get as my spouse (which I understand would be 50% of my FRA amount). Is her friend correct about being able to file on my record before I apply? And if my wife's benefit is already higher than the spousal benefit would be, is there any point in applying for spousal benefits at all? Our state pension situation makes this extra complicated!
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Isaiah Cross
Your understanding is correct. Your wife generally cannot receive spousal benefits until you file for your own retirement benefits. The only exception would be if you filed for benefits and then suspended them (which was allowed before the rule change in 2016), but that doesn't apply in your situation since you haven't filed at all. As for benefit amounts, Social Security will pay her own retirement benefit first, then add an additional amount if the spousal benefit would be higher. The spousal benefit would be up to 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) at your full retirement age. If her own benefit exceeds 50% of your PIA, then she wouldn't receive any additional spousal benefits when you do file.
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Joy Olmedo
•Thank you for the clear explanation. This confirms what I thought! I wonder why her friend was so confident about being able to claim before I file. Is there any scenario where this might have been true in the past? Maybe the rules changed?
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Kiara Greene
i think her frend is getting confused with divorceed spouse benefits? if u were divorced after 10 yr marriage, ex-spouse can claim on ur record even if u haven't filed yet. but for married couples, primary person has to file first!!!
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Joy Olmedo
•That makes so much sense! Her friend did get divorced a few years ago after a long marriage. That's probably why she thought my wife could claim now. Thank you for pointing this out!
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Evelyn Kelly
One thing to consider - since you and your wife are both retired teachers, do either of you have pensions from jobs where you didn't pay Social Security taxes? If so, you might be subject to the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) or Government Pension Offset (GPO), which can significantly reduce Social Security benefits. This is EXTREMELY common for educators and can completely change the spousal benefit calculation. The GPO can reduce spousal benefits by two-thirds of your government pension amount.
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Joy Olmedo
•Yes, we both have teacher pensions where we didn't pay into Social Security. My wife's SS benefit is already reduced by GPO based on her pension. We know her spousal benefit would also be reduced. That's why it's critical we understand if her benefit on her own record (even after GPO reduction) is higher than what she'd get on mine after GPO.
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Paloma Clark
Just wait till you try calling SS to ask them this question! I spent THREE WEEKS trying to get through to someone who actually understood spousal benefits with GPO involved. Kept getting different answers from different people. So frustrating!!!
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Heather Tyson
•I had the same experience trying to sort out my benefits with WEP! After getting disconnected four times and waiting on hold for hours, I finally tried using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to SSA. They got me connected to an agent in about 20 minutes. They have this video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Completely worth it because I finally got to talk to someone who could actually explain my specific situation.
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Paloma Clark
•Never heard of that service before! Will definitely check it out next time I need to call them. Anything is better than those endless busy signals and disconnections!
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Raul Neal
The confusion might be about "deemed filing" which changed with the 2015 Bipartisan Budget Act. Before 2016, people at FRA could file for just spousal benefits while letting their own benefits grow. This strategy (file and restrict) is no longer available for people born after 1/1/1954. But to directly answer: NO, your wife CANNOT claim spousal benefits before you file. And YES, if her own benefit (even reduced by GPO) exceeds what she'd get as your spouse, there's no advantage to applying for spousal benefits. Also, with both of you having teacher pensions and GPO, you should really have an expert run the numbers. The 2/3 reduction from GPO can make spousal benefits very small or even zero.
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Jenna Sloan
•This is totally right! I'm in the EXACT same situation (retired teacher with pension) and my spousal benefit ended up being $0 after GPO! I was so disappointed. The GPO reduction is brutal - takes 2/3 of your pension amount right off the top of any SS spousal or survivor benefits. Make sure you understand this before making any decisions!!!
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Joy Olmedo
•Thank you for explaining about deemed filing and the rule changes. That helps clear up some confusion. We'll definitely consult with an expert about GPO impacts. My wife's own SS earnings were substantial enough that she still gets a benefit after GPO, but we need to calculate if that's higher than what she'd get as my spouse after GPO.
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Kiara Greene
my mom went thru this last year. make sure ur wife checks if survivor benfits would be higher than spousal! that's a whole different calculation and GPO affects it differently sometimes.
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Raul Neal
•That's an excellent point about survivor benefits. While spousal benefits max out at 50% of the worker's PIA, survivor benefits can be up to 100% of what the deceased spouse was receiving (including delayed retirement credits). GPO still applies, but since the base amount is higher, survivor benefits are more likely to exceed the GPO reduction than spousal benefits are.
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Joy Olmedo
•We hadn't thought about survivor benefits yet, but that's a good point. I know delaying until 70 will maximize what she could receive if I pass away first. Is there anything specific we should know about how GPO affects survivor benefits differently?
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Isaiah Cross
To summarize for clarity: 1. Your wife cannot claim spousal benefits until you file for your retirement benefits 2. Due to GPO, any spousal benefits she'd receive would be reduced by 2/3 of her government pension 3. When you do file at 70, SSA will automatically determine if adding a spousal benefit would increase her total benefit 4. If her own reduced benefit already exceeds what she'd get as your spouse after GPO, no additional amount would be paid 5. Delaying until 70 is still valuable for potential survivor benefits later Regarding GPO and survivor benefits: The same 2/3 pension offset applies, but since survivor benefits can be up to 100% of your benefit (versus 50% for spousal), there's more likely to be something left after the offset.
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Joy Olmedo
•Thank you for this clear summary! This is extremely helpful. I'll stick with my plan to file at 70, and when I do, we'll see if my wife qualifies for any additional spousal benefits at that time. I appreciate everyone's insights!
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