Identical Social Security benefit amounts with spouse - too coincidental to be correct?
Has anyone else encountered this weird situation? My husband and I just started receiving our Social Security retirement benefits (I filed in January, he filed in March), and our monthly amounts are EXACTLY the same - $2,876 each. This seems like too much of a coincidence! We have completely different work histories - I worked 32 years in healthcare with several years of higher income at the end, while he worked 40+ years in manufacturing with more consistent income throughout. Our FRAs are different (mine is 66+8 months, his is 67), and we claimed at different times (I'm 67, he's 68). I've called SSA twice and both reps insist our benefit amounts are calculated correctly, but neither could explain how we ended up with identical payments down to the dollar. I'm worried there's been some kind of system error where they accidentally duplicated one of our calculations. Is this even statistically possible with all the variables involved in SS calculations, or should I keep pushing this issue?
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PixelPioneer
It's definitely unusual but not impossible! I had something similar happen with my brother where our benefits were only $12 apart despite very different careers. The PIA calculation has some quirks that can sometimes result in surprisingly similar amounts. If you've already called SSA twice and they've confirmed it's correct, I'd trust their calculation. If you want to verify yourself, you can request your earnings records and benefits calculation statement through your my Social Security account. That will show you exactly how they calculated each amount.
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Yara Abboud
•Thanks for the response! I have our earnings records but I'm still confused about how they could end up identical. I'll try to go through the calculations myself but the bendpoints and all that stuff is pretty complicated. Did you ever figure out why yours and your brother's were so close?
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Keisha Williams
this happens more than u think. my sister and her husband got exactlty the same amount too. $2,142 each. they have diffrent jobs but i think ss has some kind of rounding thing that makes it happen more. its probbly correct so dont worry about it
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Yara Abboud
•Really? That makes me feel a bit better knowing it's happened to others. I just keep thinking the odds seem astronomical when you consider all the variables!
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Paolo Rizzo
The Social Security benefit calculation is complex but follows a specific formula. Your benefits are based on your highest 35 years of earnings (indexed for inflation), which are then averaged and run through a formula using bend points. While it seems unlikely, it's mathematically possible for two people with different work histories to end up with identical benefits. Some factors that could contribute to this: 1. The bend point formula reduces higher earners' replacement rates 2. Only the highest 35 years count, so extra working years don't always impact the final number 3. There might be rounding to the nearest dollar 4. If one of you had higher earnings but claimed earlier, while the other had lower earnings but delayed, the adjustments could equalize If you're really concerned, you can request a detailed benefit calculation from SSA or make an appointment with a local office to have someone walk through both calculations with you.
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Amina Sy
•This is so interesting! I never realized that higher earners get less back proportionally because of those bend points. That must be why my benefit feels so low compared to what I paid in over the years. The whole system is RIGGED against those of us who worked hard and earned good money!!
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Oliver Fischer
I had to call Social Security SIX TIMES about a similar situation with my ex-spouse benefits calculation and kept getting different answers each time!!! SO FRUSTRATING!!! The phone wait times were 2+ hours each time and half the time I got disconnected before talking to anyone. The system is BROKEN!
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Natasha Ivanova
•I had the same frustrating experience trying to get someone on the phone! I finally discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me connected to an agent in under 10 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - completely changed my experience with getting Social Security questions answered. For complicated benefit calculations like what the original poster is asking about, speaking directly with an agent who can pull up both records simultaneously is really the only way to get clarity.
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NebulaNomad
My wife and I have the EXACT same benefit amount too! We were shocked when we got our award letters. Both $2,453/month. I was a teacher and she was in retail management. Different ages, different claiming times, totally different earnings patterns. We just assumed it was some strange coincidence. Been collecting for 3 years now with no issues.
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Yara Abboud
•That's really reassuring to hear! Maybe it's more common than I thought. I just couldn't believe the statistical probability of it happening by chance.
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Paolo Rizzo
One thing to check - were either of you ever government employees with pensions not covered by Social Security? If so, the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) or Government Pension Offset (GPO) could be affecting your benefit calculations. These adjustments can sometimes create situations where benefits end up more similar than expected.
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Yara Abboud
•No, neither of us worked for the government or have any pensions. Both just regular private sector jobs with 401ks. Good thought though!
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Amina Sy
Wait I'm confused are you both getting retirement or is one of you getting spousal benefits? Because spousal benefits are 50% of the workers benefit and maybe thats what happened?
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Yara Abboud
•We're both getting retirement benefits based on our own work records. Neither of us is getting spousal benefits. That's why it's so weird!
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Paolo Rizzo
•Just to clarify for everyone - spousal benefits would only be 50% of the worker's benefit, not the same amount. And if both people qualify for their own retirement benefits that exceed the spousal amount, they'd each get their own benefit, not the spousal benefit. This situation is indeed unusual but mathematically possible.
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Keisha Williams
my freind tole me that SS benefits have a maximum amount maybe u both hit the max?
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Paolo Rizzo
•There is a maximum benefit, but it's much higher than $2,876 for someone who reached full retirement age in 2025. For someone claiming at exactly FRA this year, the maximum would be approximately $3,900. So while this is a good thought, it's not the explanation in this case.
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PixelPioneer
After looking at all the responses, I think this is just one of those strange coincidences that can happen with the complex Social Security formula. Since multiple SSA representatives have confirmed your amounts are correct, and others here have experienced similar situations, I wouldn't worry about it. If it gives you peace of mind, you could schedule an in-person appointment at your local SSA office where they can pull up both records and show you the detailed calculations side by side. But it sounds like everything is working as intended, just with an unusual outcome!
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Yara Abboud
•Thank you all for the helpful responses! I think you're right - just a weird coincidence. I'll still try to get an in-person appointment to see the calculations side by side, but I'm feeling much better about it now. It's reassuring to hear others have experienced this too!
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