Social Security spouse benefits question - can my wife keep running her business when I start collecting SS?
My 65th birthday is coming up in a few months, and I'm planning to file for my Social Security retirement. My wife is 63 and owns a small accounting practice that she's built up over the last 15 years. She doesn't want to retire yet - loves what she does and her business is doing really well right now. I'm confused about how this affects our situation. Can she continue working at her own business while I collect my SS benefits? Will her income somehow reduce my payment? And what about when she hits her FRA - she'd be eligible for spousal benefits on my record since my benefit amount is higher than hers would be. Does her continuing to work affect that too? I've tried to navigate the SSA website but keep getting conflicting info. Any advice is appreciated!
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Mohammed Khan
Yes, your wife can absolutely continue to work her business while you collect your retirement benefits. Her income has no impact on YOUR benefits whatsoever. Your benefit is based on your own earnings record. As for her future spousal benefits, that's a bit more complicated. If she claims ANY Social Security before her Full Retirement Age (66 and 10 months for someone age 63), then her earnings above the annual limit ($21,240 in 2025) would reduce her benefits by $1 for every $2 earned over that limit. However, since she's running her own business, she has options. She could continue working and simply delay filing for any benefits (her own or spousal) until her FRA. At that point, the earnings test no longer applies, and she can earn unlimited income without reduction in benefits.
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Ella Russell
•Thank you so much for explaining that! So just to be clear - her income won't affect me at all when I start collecting, even though we file taxes jointly? That's a huge relief. And it sounds like her best option might be to just keep working and wait until her FRA to claim anything?
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Gavin King
my wife kept her real estate business going full time after i started SS 3 years ago. doesnt affect my check at all. shes making more now than before lol. the earnings limit only applies to the person getting SS before their FRA not their spouse
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Nathan Kim
•This is partially correct, but there's an important distinction. If the OP's wife later applies for spousal benefits before reaching her FRA, then HER earnings would affect HER spousal benefits (not his retirement benefits). Each person's earnings only affect their own Social Security benefits if they're collecting before FRA. Joint tax filing status doesn't change how the SSA applies the earnings test.
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Eleanor Foster
I was in this EXACT situation 2 years ago!!! My husband kept getting told different things by different SSA people on the phone, it was SO frustrating! He would wait on hold for HOURS just to talk to someone who didn't have the right info. Their phone system is absolutely broken. We finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual knowledgeable SSA agent. They have this service that gets you connected to SSA without the endless hold time - you can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent confirmed that while I was running my flower shop, my income had zero effect on my husband's SS retirement benefits. But I did have to be careful about my own benefits later. It was worth every penny to finally get a straight answer!
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Lucas Turner
•thanks for this! been trying to reach SS for days about my disability review. just checked out that video demo and it looks pretty straightforward
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Kai Rivera
WRONG INFORMATION being shared here. If you are collecting SS and your spouse is working, the SSA ABSOLUTELY considers household income when calculating benefits. My brother-in-law lost $400/month when his wife started making more money at her law firm. They take EVERYTHING into account!!!
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Mohammed Khan
•This is incorrect. You're likely confusing retirement benefits with SSI (Supplemental Security Income), which is needs-based and does consider household income. Standard Social Security retirement benefits are NOT affected by a spouse's income - they're based solely on the individual's own earnings record. The only time a spouse's earnings matter is if that spouse is claiming benefits before their FRA while still working.
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Anna Stewart
When my husband started collecting his SS at 62, I was still running my daycare business from our home. I was so worried about this same thing! But his benefits weren't affected at all by my income. I actually waited until my FRA to claim my spousal benefit because I knew I'd lose some of it if I claimed earlier while still working. Just make sure your wife understands that if she wants spousal benefits before her FRA, her earnings will reduce those benefits. But your benefits are completely safe!
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Ella Russell
•That's really helpful to hear from someone who went through it! My wife is thinking she'll probably just wait until her FRA to claim anything since her business is doing well. Did you find the spousal benefit was significantly better than your own retirement benefit when you finally claimed?
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Lucas Turner
wait does this mean if ur wife makes alot of money you get less SS?? my wife makes way more than me but im about to apply next month!!!
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Nathan Kim
•No, your wife's income will NOT affect your Social Security retirement benefits at all. Your benefit is based solely on your own earnings history. The only situation where earnings matter is if YOU are working while collecting benefits before your Full Retirement Age - then YOUR earnings (not your spouse's) could reduce YOUR benefits temporarily.
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Nathan Kim
To summarize the correct information: 1. Your retirement benefits are completely unaffected by your wife's business income or continued work activity. 2. If your wife later claims benefits (either her own or spousal) before reaching her Full Retirement Age while still working, the earnings test may apply to HER benefits: - In 2025, earnings over $21,240 would reduce her benefits by $1 for every $2 earned - This reduction stops once she reaches her FRA - Any benefits withheld aren't truly lost - they're added back once she reaches FRA 3. The optimal strategy for many self-employed spouses is to continue working and delay claiming any benefits until their FRA, at which point they can earn unlimited income without benefit reduction. 4. When she eventually does claim, she'll receive the higher of either her own retirement benefit or the spousal benefit (up to 50% of your PIA if she waits until her FRA).
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Gavin King
•this is correct, they explained it to me at SS office last year. everyone gets confused between SSI and regular SS. SSI looks at household income but regular retirement benefits don't care what ur spouse makes
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Ella Russell
Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I feel much better knowing that my wife can keep her business going without affecting my benefits. We'll probably have her wait until FRA to claim anything since the business is doing well. One more question - if she does wait until FRA to claim spousal benefits, will they look at all her earnings up until that point to calculate her own benefit? Or do they just use earnings up to 62 or something?
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Nathan Kim
•SSA will consider all of her earnings through the previous year when she files for benefits, regardless of her age. So if she continues working until her FRA, those additional years of earnings will be included in her calculation. This is actually helpful in many cases since later-career years often have higher earnings that can replace lower-earning years from earlier in her career in the 35-year calculation. Just remember that at claim time, she'll automatically receive whichever is higher - her own benefit or the spousal benefit (which is up to 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount).
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