Social Security spousal benefits: Will my spouse get increases from my delayed retirement credits?
I've been working past my Full Retirement Age (currently 66 yrs, 8 months) and plan to continue for a few more years. I'm getting an increase to my Social Security benefit in November due to delayed retirement credits. My husband reached his FRA and is now applying for spousal benefits (he's turning 68 next month). We have some questions about how this works: 1. When my husband claims spousal benefits (50% of my PIA), will he automatically get half of the increases I receive from delayed retirement credits? I understand he'll get annual COLA adjustments on his portion, but not sure about my delayed retirement increases. 2. We called SSA in January but our phone appointment isn't until March. Can my husband request retroactive benefits going back 6 months (to July 2024)? Does being past FRA (he'll be 68 in February) affect this retroactive payment option? We're trying to maximize our benefits but finding it really confusing to understand how spousal benefits interact with delayed retirement credits. Thanks for any help!
20 comments
Join the conversation
Marcelle Drum
To answer your questions: 1. No, your husband will NOT get half of your delayed retirement credits. Spousal benefits are based on 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) at your Full Retirement Age, not including any delayed retirement credits you earn by postponing benefits. So when you get your increase in November, his spousal benefit won't increase from that specifically (though he will get the annual COLA increases as you mentioned). 2. Yes, since your husband is beyond his FRA, he can request retroactive benefits for up to 6 months. Being 68 actually works in his favor here - anyone who's beyond FRA can request those retroactive payments. So he should definitely request benefits back to July 2024 during that March appointment. Hope this helps clarify things!
0 coins
Collins Angel
•Thank you for the clear explanation! That's disappointing about the delayed credits not being included in his spousal benefit, but good to know he can get the retroactive payments. If you don't mind a follow-up question - does this mean there's no advantage for spousal benefits if I continue delaying my own retirement benefit past my FRA? It seems like my increased credits only benefit me, not him.
0 coins
Tate Jensen
Let me add my experience to this conversation. I was in a very similar situation last year. My wife delayed claiming until 70 to maximize her benefits, while I claimed spousal at my FRA. The rep at Social Security confirmed exactly what the previous commenter said - spousal benefits are fixed at 50% of the worker's PIA at their FRA, not including delayed retirement credits. For the retroactive benefits question, we had a TERRIBLE time trying to reach someone at SSA. After weeks of busy signals and disconnected calls, I found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in under 1 hour. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me so much frustration and I was able to get my retroactive benefits processed right away.
0 coins
Adaline Wong
•Did that Claimyr thing actually work? I've been trying to get ahold of SS for weeks about my disability application status. Might try it if it worked for you.
0 coins
Tate Jensen
•Yes, it worked surprisingly well. I was skeptical at first, but after three days of trying to get through on my own with no luck, I decided to give it a shot. They connected me to an agent in about 45 minutes. Made the whole retroactive benefits request process much easier.
0 coins
Gabriel Ruiz
I went thru this EXACT situation!!! my husb is drawing off MY record and he only gets 50% of my FRA amount, not the delayed credits. its kinda unfair if u ask me bcuz the whole family should benefit from the higer amount right??? but thats the system. Also YES u can get 6 mo retro payments after FRA so DEFINITELY ask for that!!!!
0 coins
Misterclamation Skyblue
You might want to double-check on the retroactive benefits. The 6-month limit applies specifically to retirement benefits. For spousal benefits when the person is past FRA (like your husband at 68), the retroactive period may be different. I'd recommend asking specifically about this during your March appointment. Also, important note: by taking retroactive benefits, they'll calculate as if he filed six months earlier. Since he's already past FRA, this doesn't reduce his monthly amount, so there's no downside. But good to understand that's how SSA processes it. One other thing to consider - has your husband looked at his own retirement benefit based on his work record? Sometimes people automatically assume spousal benefits are higher, but that's not always the case, especially for someone who's worked consistently.
0 coins
Collins Angel
•That's a good point about checking his own benefit! We did compare and the spousal benefit is definitely higher in our case. He worked many years in education where they didn't pay into Social Security. I'll definitely ask for clarification about the retroactive benefits during our appointment.
0 coins
Peyton Clarke
Wait I'm confused...I thought spouses DID get half of the delayed retirement credits?? My neighbor told me her husband waited until 70 and she got half of his increased amount. Are we talking about the same thing? This Social Security stuff makes my head spin!!
0 coins
Marcelle Drum
•Your neighbor is mistaken or you misunderstood. Spousal benefits are based ONLY on the worker's PIA at their FRA, regardless of when the worker actually claims. The delayed retirement credits only increase the worker's own benefit, not any benefits paid to family members on their record. The only exception is survivor benefits - if the worker passes away, then the surviving spouse CAN receive benefits that include the delayed retirement credits. But for regular spousal benefits while both are living, delayed credits don't factor in.
0 coins
Peyton Clarke
•Oh! Maybe that's what she was talking about then - survivor benefits. That makes more sense. Thank you for explaining the difference!
0 coins
Vince Eh
Social Security has some weird rules. I've been on it for 12 years now and still learn new things. The 50% spousal benefit is definitely based on YOUR FRA amount only. And yes, he can get 6 months back pay since he's over FRA. But watch out for the earnings test if either of you are still working! That can mess everything up.
0 coins
Collins Angel
•Thanks for confirming about the 6 months back pay. We should be fine with the earnings test since we're both past FRA - from what I understand, the earnings limit doesn't apply after you reach FRA, right?
0 coins
Marcelle Drum
•Correct. Once you've reached your Full Retirement Age, the earnings test no longer applies. You can earn any amount without having your benefits reduced.
0 coins
Adaline Wong
my mom went through something similar and you should know that when you DO eventually claim your benefits with all those delayed credits, if you pass away before your husband, THEN he would get your full benefit including all those delayed credits as a survivor benefit. that's one of the main reasons some financial advisors recommend the higher earner delay claiming as long as possible - it protects the surviving spouse with a higher benefit for the rest of their life. just something to consider in your planning.
0 coins
Collins Angel
•That's a really good point about survivor benefits! That makes me feel better about continuing to delay my own benefits, knowing it could help my husband in the future if I pass away first. Thank you for bringing that up - it's an important part of the equation we hadn't fully considered.
0 coins
Misterclamation Skyblue
One additional clarification since there seems to be some confusion: the spousal benefit is the greater of either 50% of the worker's PIA at FRA OR the spouse's own retirement benefit. It's not an additional amount on top of the spouse's own benefit, which is another common misunderstanding. If your husband has any earnings record of his own, SSA will pay his own retirement benefit first, then add an additional amount (if needed) to bring the total up to the 50% spousal rate. This is called the "excess spousal benefit." Also, make sure to bring your marriage certificate to your appointment or have it ready to upload in advance. SSA will need to verify the marriage for spousal benefits.
0 coins
Gabriel Ruiz
u kno whats CRAZY about all this?? my friend works for SSA and she says even some of THEIR EMPLOYEES get confused about these rules!!! no wonder we're all struggling to figure it out!!
0 coins
Adaline Wong
•I believe it. My dad got three different answers to the same question when he called three different times. The whole system is way too complicated.
0 coins
Vince Eh
Just wanted to add - if you're still working and getting those delayed retirement credits, make sure you understand how they're calculated. You get 8% per year (or 2/3% per month) that you delay past your FRA, up to age 70. So if you're 66 and 8 months now and delay until 70, that's an extra 26.67% on your monthly benefit for life! Pretty significant. I wish I had been able to delay mine.
0 coins