Social Security family maximum limit for married couples receiving benefits?

There's often confusion about the family maximum. The family maximum benefit (FMB) doesn't apply to married couples each collecting on their own work records. It only applies when multiple people are drawing from a SINGLE worker's record (like when someone has multiple dependents or survivors collecting benefits based on their earnings). Since you and your husband would each be collecting on your own individual work records, there's no family maximum that would limit your combined benefits. The decision to claim at 64 vs. waiting until your Full Retirement Age should be based on other factors, like your reduction for claiming early and your life expectancy.

Are you sure about this??? My sister-in-law told me that there's definitely a cap on how much one household can get from Social Security!!! She said they reduced her check after her husband started collecting. Now I'm really confused because this is completely different information.

just want to add that the main thing you should be thinking about is the early claiming reduction. if you claim at 64, you'll get a permanent reduction compared to waiting till your FRA. for most people born in the 50s thats about a 13.3% reduction from your PIA. might be worth waiting if you can afford to.

Something else to consider is that taking SS early might affect survivor benefits later on. If your husband passes away before you, you would be eligible for survivor benefits equal to what he was receiving. If your own benefit is lower than what you'd get as a survivor, you'd switch to the higher amount. So sometimes it makes sense to take the lower-earning spouse's benefit early and let the higher one grow.

I went through something similar with my wife last year. We called the SSA to ask about this family maximum question and spent HOURS trying to get through. When we finally did, they put us on hold for 45 minutes and then the call dropped. So frustrating! We eventually found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got us through to an agent in about 15 minutes. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. The agent confirmed what others here are saying - there's no family maximum that applies to spouses each collecting on their own records.

My WIFE and I both collect social security and we definately don't have any family maximum affecting our benefits. We each get what we earned based on our own work records. One thing to think about though is TAXES - having both incomes might push you into having more of your SS benefits taxed. Worth talking to a tax person about this.

To clarify a technical point: The Family Maximum Benefit (FMB) formula is specifically designed to limit benefits paid from a single earner's record. The formula is complex but generally caps total benefits at 150-180% of the worker's primary insurance amount. This applies when multiple people draw from one record - like a retired worker plus spouse plus children. In your situation, since you and your husband are claiming on separate work records, the FMB doesn't come into play at all. Your claiming decision should focus on early claiming reductions, longevity expectations, and potential survivor benefits as others have mentioned.

did anyone mention the earnings test? if ur still working and under FRA there's a limit to how much u can earn before they start withholding benefits. think it's around $22,000 for 2025. exceeding that they withhold $1 for every $2 over the limit.

The whole system is SO CONFUSING!!! Why can't they just make it simple to understand??? Every time I think I get it someone tells me something different. And don't even get me started on trying to talk to someone at the actual office! 🤬

To summarize for the original poster: 1) No family maximum concerns for you and your husband since you're claiming on separate work records, 2) Your decision should focus on the early claiming reduction vs. getting payments sooner, 3) Consider survivor benefit implications, and 4) Be aware of potential tax implications of having both benefits coming in. These are the key factors for your situation.