Does Social Security spousal benefit calculation include 2025 COLA increase in husband's PIA?

Your spousal benefit will be based on your husband's PIA including all COLA adjustments that have been applied since he reached his FRA. So yes, you would include the 2022, 2023, and 2024 COLAs that have already been applied to his PIA. However, the 2025 COLA won't be reflected in the current online calculators yet because it only gets officially applied to benefits starting in January 2025. The online calculators typically update after the COLA is officially implemented. Just to be clear - your spousal benefit will be calculated as up to 50% of his COLA-adjusted PIA, then reduced if you claim before your FRA. The reduction is approximately 0.69% per month before your FRA (about 8.3% per year).

im in kinda same boat, my wife been getting SS since 2019 and when i called to ask about spousal they gave me a number that seemed WAY too low!! turns out they were using her original PIA not the one with all the COLAs added. had to call back THREE TIMES to get someone who knew what they were talking about!!! the online calculators are useless for this stuff honestly

Yes, your spousal benefit will be based on your husband's PIA including all COLAs that have been applied since he reached FRA. The PIA is adjusted each year with COLAs. To calculate your benefit: 1. Start with husband's PIA at his FRA 2. Add all COLAs since then (2022, 2023, 2024) 3. Calculate 50% of that amount 4. Apply early retirement reduction if claiming before your FRA The 2025 COLA (2.5%) won't be in current calculations but will automatically be added to benefits starting January 2025. For the most accurate calculation, I recommend calling SSA directly and asking specifically for your husband's current PIA with all COLAs applied. Then you'll have the exact figure to work with. Alternatively, check his my Social Security account - it may show the current PIA there.

I had this exact same problem last year! Kept getting disconnected when calling SSA. Finally I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person at Social Security in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They connected me directly to SSA where I got the PIA with all COLAs included. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I got through, I found out that yes, the spousal benefit is based on the PIA with all COLAs applied since FRA. The rep explained that the COLA adjustments compound each year, which makes a significant difference over time.

My wife just went through this. It's SO confusing! The SSA rep told her that spousal benefits are based on the CURRENT PIA, which includes all prior COLAs. But the online calculators don't make this clear at all! One thing to keep in mind - when you start receiving benefits, you'll get the COLAs automatically each year. So you don't need to worry about adding the 2025 COLA yourself.

DONT TRUST WHAT SSA TELLS YOU OVER THE PHONE!!! I was given WRONG info 3 different times about my spousal benefit. One rep told me COLAs weren't included, another said they were, and a third gave me a completely different amount. I finally went IN PERSON to my local office and got the correct information. Their phone reps are badly trained.

I want to add one more important clarification: When we talk about COLAs being applied to the PIA, we're talking about the spouse's (your husband's) PIA being adjusted for inflation over time. The actual spousal benefit calculation takes this inflation-adjusted PIA, calculates the spousal percentage (up to 50%), and then applies any reduction factors for early claiming. This is why it's crucial to get the current PIA figure from SSA - it already has all past COLAs built in. Once you start receiving benefits, you'll automatically get future COLAs applied to your monthly payment.

My mother just went through this process! One thing that helped was printing out her husband's benefit verification letter from his my Social Security account. It didn't specifically show the current PIA, but when she took it to her appointment, the SSA rep was able to look up the current PIA with all COLAs applied. That might be easier than trying to calculate it yourself.

I went through this exact same situation last year when I was trying to figure out my spousal benefits! The confusion is totally understandable because the SSA website and phone reps don't always explain it clearly. Yes, your spousal benefit will be calculated using your husband's current PIA, which includes ALL the COLA adjustments that have been applied since he reached his FRA in 2021. So you would include the 2022 (5.9%), 2023 (8.7%), and 2024 (3.2%) COLAs that have already been applied. The 2025 COLA (2.5%) won't be reflected in current calculations, but it will automatically be added to your benefit starting in January 2025 once you're receiving payments. One tip that really helped me: I created a my Social Security account for my husband and we were able to see his current benefit amount there. While it doesn't show the PIA directly, it gave us a good starting point. You can also request a benefit verification letter through the online account. The $175 difference you mentioned sounds about right when you factor in all those COLAs compounding over the years - it really does add up! Don't let anyone tell you to use the 2021 PIA without adjustments.

I'm going through a similar situation right now and your post really resonates with me! The COLA confusion is so frustrating. From what I've learned through my own research and talking to people who've been through this, yes - your spousal benefit calculation should definitely include all the COLA increases that have been applied to your husband's PIA since he reached FRA. Those COLAs you mentioned (2022, 2023, 2024) should all be factored in because they're adjustments to maintain the purchasing power of the PIA over time. The $175 monthly difference you calculated sounds very realistic - I did similar math for my situation and was shocked at how much it added up to! One thing that helped me was keeping a record of all the COLA percentages and doing the calculation myself so I could double-check whatever SSA tells me. For 2022 it was 5.9%, 2023 was 8.7%, and 2024 was 3.2%. When you compound those over three years on top of the original 2021 PIA, it really makes a significant difference. I'd definitely recommend getting written confirmation of the current PIA amount from SSA, whether by phone, online account, or in-person visit. Having that documentation will help you verify that they're using the right number for your spousal benefit calculation. Good luck!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! My husband has been collecting since 2022 and I'm trying to figure out my spousal benefits for when I turn 62 next year. The COLA confusion is real - I've gotten different answers from three different SSA phone representatives about whether the adjustments are included in the PIA calculation. What finally worked for me was going to my local SSA office in person with my husband's benefit statement. The representative there was much more knowledgeable and confirmed that YES, spousal benefits are calculated using the current PIA with all COLA adjustments applied since FRA. She actually showed me on her computer how the PIA gets updated each year. Your $175 monthly difference calculation sounds very realistic. When I did the math for my situation using the original 2022 PIA versus the COLA-adjusted one, the difference was about $140 per month - and that's with just two years of COLAs compared to your four years! One tip that really helped: Ask for a "benefit estimate" in writing when you visit or call. That way you have documentation of what they told you and can reference it later. The in-person visits take longer but I found the staff much more reliable than the phone reps.

I just went through this exact same process a few months ago and can confirm what others have said - yes, your spousal benefit WILL be based on your husband's current PIA including all COLA adjustments since his FRA in 2021. The key thing to understand is that the PIA isn't a fixed number from when someone reaches FRA - it continues to get adjusted each year with COLAs to maintain purchasing power. So his 2021 PIA has been increased by the 2022 (5.9%), 2023 (8.7%), and 2024 (3.2%) COLAs already. Your $175 monthly difference calculation sounds spot-on. When those COLAs compound over multiple years, it really adds up significantly. Here's what worked for me: I went to my local SSA office with my spouse's most recent SSA-1099 form and benefit verification letter from his online account. The representative was able to pull up his current PIA on the spot and gave me an accurate spousal benefit estimate. Much more reliable than the phone reps who kept giving me conflicting information. One important note: Make sure to ask specifically for the "current PIA with all COLAs applied" - some reps will default to giving you historical numbers if you're not precise with your request. The 2025 COLA will automatically be added to your monthly payment once you start receiving benefits, so don't worry about factoring that in manually right now.

I'm in a similar situation and wanted to share what I learned from my recent experience. After weeks of getting conflicting information from SSA phone reps, I finally got clarity by visiting my local office. You're absolutely right that the difference is significant - those COLAs really compound over time! For your husband's 2021 FRA, you'd need to apply the 2022 (5.9%), 2023 (8.7%), and 2024 (3.2%) COLAs to get his current PIA. Here's what worked for me: I brought my spouse's most recent benefit statement and asked the rep to show me exactly how they calculate spousal benefits. She pulled up the current PIA (with all COLAs included) right on her screen and walked me through the calculation step by step. The key phrase to use is "current PIA with all COLA adjustments applied since FRA" - this eliminates the confusion about which number to use. Your $175 monthly difference calculation sounds very realistic based on what I've seen. One thing that surprised me: even though my spouse started collecting before his FRA (with a reduction), his PIA for spousal benefit purposes is still the full unreduced amount at FRA, just adjusted for COLAs. Many people don't realize this distinction. Definitely get the calculation in writing when you visit or call - it'll save you from having to explain everything again if you need to follow up. The 2025 COLA will automatically be added once you start receiving benefits, so you don't need to factor that in now.

I went through this exact same confusion last year when I was trying to figure out my spousal benefits! The SSA phone reps gave me three different answers, which was incredibly frustrating. Here's what I learned after finally getting to speak with a knowledgeable representative at my local SSA office: Your spousal benefit calculation WILL include all the COLA increases that have been applied to your husband's PIA since he reached FRA in 2021. So yes, you need to factor in the 2022 (5.9%), 2023 (8.7%), and 2024 (3.2%) COLAs. Your $175 monthly difference calculation sounds very realistic - I had a similar significant difference when I did the math for my situation. Those COLAs really compound over time! The 2025 COLA (2.5%) won't be reflected in current online calculators, but it will automatically be added to your monthly benefit once you start receiving payments in 2025. My advice: Visit your local SSA office in person with your husband's most recent benefit statement or SSA-1099. Ask specifically for his "current PIA with all COLA adjustments applied since FRA" and request a written benefit estimate. The in-person staff are much more knowledgeable than the phone reps, and you'll get documentation you can reference later. Don't let anyone tell you to use his original 2021 PIA without the COLA adjustments - that would significantly shortchange your spousal benefit!