How much is Social Security spousal benefit compared to primary earner's benefit?
I've been trying to figure out how much I'd get from my husband's Social Security. He's 62 and planning to file for his retirement benefits next year. I'm 60 and haven't worked enough to qualify for my own benefit (was a stay-at-home mom most of my life). The SSA website says something about 50% of his benefit, but is that 50% of what he'd get at 62 or 50% of his full retirement amount? Does it matter when I file? And if I wait until I'm 67 (my FRA I think), would I get more than if I claim at 62? The calculators online are confusing me. If his monthly benefit at FRA would be about $2,800, how much could I expect to receive as a spouse?
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Gabriel Ruiz
As a spouse, you can receive up to 50% of your husband's primary insurance amount (PIA), which is the benefit he would receive at his full retirement age. The important thing to understand is that this 50% is based on his PIA, not what he actually receives if he claims early. If your husband claims at 62, he'll get a reduced benefit, but your spousal benefit is still calculated from his full PIA. However, if YOU claim your spousal benefit before your full retirement age, YOUR benefit will be reduced. So if his PIA is $2,800 (his FRA amount), the maximum spousal benefit would be $1,400 (50%), but only if you wait until your FRA (67) to claim it. If you claim at 62, your spousal benefit would be permanently reduced to about 32.5% of his PIA, so around $910 per month. The other important thing: spousal benefits don't grow after your FRA - there's no advantage to waiting beyond your FRA like there is with retirement benefits.
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Adaline Wong
•Thank you so much! That makes more sense now. So his decision to claim early doesn't affect my spousal benefit calculation, but when I claim definitely matters. If he gets $2,100 at 62 (reduced from $2,800), I'd still get up to $1,400 if I wait until my FRA? That's a relief!
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Misterclamation Skyblue
my wife got 1/2 of mine but u have to be at full retirment age to get the whole 1/2, if u take it early they cut it
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Peyton Clarke
•Actually, it's a bit more complicated than just getting half. The 50% is of the primary earner's FRA amount, not what they're actually getting if they filed early. And yes, taking spousal benefits early reduces them permanently. The reduction is about 8.33% per year for every year before FRA for spousal benefits.
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Vince Eh
The SSA makes this SO confusing!!! I went through this last year with my husband's record. They kept telling me different amounts every time I called. First they said I'd get $1100, then it was $980, then back to $1050. I finally had to go into the office and sit down with someone who could explain exactly how they calculated it. One thing they don't tell you is that if you have ANY work history of your own, even if it's not enough for benefits, they look at that first before giving you spousal benefits!!! So frustrating!! Also if your husband keeps working after claiming benefits his earnings could increase both of your benefits later, which they also NEVER mention on the phone!
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Adaline Wong
•Oh no, that sounds like a nightmare! I do have some work history, but not much. I worked part-time for about 10 years total. Do you think that will complicate things? Should I just go to the office in person instead of trying to figure it out online?
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Sophia Gabriel
To give you a precise answer, here's what you need to know about spousal benefits: 1. Maximum spousal benefit is 50% of your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (what he would get at his FRA) 2. Claiming spousal benefits early reduces them permanently: - At age 62: 32.5% of husband's PIA - At age 65: 41.7% of husband's PIA - At age 67 (your FRA): 50% of husband's PIA 3. When your husband files doesn't affect the PIA calculation for your spousal benefits 4. You cannot file for spousal benefits until your husband files for his retirement benefits 5. Spousal benefits don't earn delayed retirement credits - no advantage to waiting past your FRA In your specific case with his PIA at $2,800: - At your FRA (67): $1,400/month - At age 62: approximately $910/month I recommend using the detailed calculator at ssa.gov with both your earnings histories for the most accurate estimate.
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Misterclamation Skyblue
•this is right my wife tried to get hers at 63 and got way less than half of mine dont do it if u can wait!!
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Tobias Lancaster
I tried calling Social Security about this exact question last month and was on hold for over 2 HOURS before I got disconnected. Then tried again the next day and couldn't even get through. Their phone system is absolutely broken. I finally gave up and just filed online without getting my questions answered.
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Ezra Beard
•I had the same awful experience trying to reach them! I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at SSA in about 20 minutes instead of hours on hold. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU It was so much better than wasting my entire day on hold just to get disconnected. I was able to get all my spousal benefit questions answered in one call.
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Tobias Lancaster
•Thanks for the tip! I'll check that out. Anything is better than their regular phone system.
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Peyton Clarke
Something I haven't seen mentioned yet that's important: if you have any retirement benefit of your own (even small), you don't just get the higher of the two. SSA will pay your own benefit first, then add enough of the spousal benefit to bring you up to the maximum spousal amount you're eligible for. For example, if your own retirement benefit would be $400, and your maximum spousal benefit is $1,400, you'd get your $400 plus $1,000 in spousal benefits (totaling $1,400). This is called the "dual entitlement rule" and often confuses people.
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Adaline Wong
•Oh! This is really good to know. I might be eligible for a small benefit on my own record. So they'd pay that first and then top it up to reach the spousal amount? Does that mean I'd still get the same total either way?
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Vince Eh
ALSO!!! If your husband passes away before you (sorry to be morbid), you should know that survivor benefits are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from spousal benefits! You'd get 100% of what HE was receiving if you're at FRA when you claim survivors (not just 50%!). This is super important for planning! And if he claims at 62 and gets reduced benefits, your eventual survivor benefit would be based on that reduced amount! The SSA doesn't explain this well!!!!!
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Sophia Gabriel
•This is an excellent point. Survivor benefits are indeed different from spousal benefits. To clarify: 1. If the deceased spouse took benefits early, the survivor's benefit is limited to the larger of: - What the deceased was actually receiving, or - 82.5% of the deceased's PIA 2. If the deceased spouse delayed benefits beyond FRA, the survivor gets the actual increased amount including all delayed retirement credits. This is why some financial planners recommend that the higher-earning spouse delay benefits until 70 if possible, especially if there's a significant age gap or health difference between spouses.
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Adaline Wong
Thank you all for the helpful information! One more question - if my husband decides to keep working after he starts collecting benefits (he only plans to work part-time), would that affect my spousal benefit at all?
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Gabriel Ruiz
•If your husband works while collecting benefits before his FRA, his benefits might be reduced temporarily due to the earnings test (in 2025, $1 in benefits is withheld for every $2 earned above $23,100). However, this would not directly affect your spousal benefit calculation. If his continued work increases his PIA through higher earnings replacing lower earnings in his 35-year calculation, both his benefit and your spousal benefit could increase slightly. After he reaches his FRA, there's no earnings test, so he can earn any amount without it affecting his current benefits.
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