Spousal benefit top-up with Social Security - will my $2500 benefit qualify with ex at maximum SS benefit?
I've been trying to calculate my Social Security options and got confused about spousal benefits from my ex. I recently saw that the maximum Social Security benefit for someone reaching FRA in 2025 is $4018. My ex-husband has always earned at the maximum taxable earnings limit, so I think he'll get close to that maximum benefit when he files. I won't reach my FRA until sometime in 2026, but I've worked enough to qualify for my own benefit of about $2500/month at FRA. I was thinking I might be eligible for some kind of spousal top-up from my ex's record, but since my benefit is already more than half of his potential maximum ($4018 ÷ 2 = $2009), does that mean I wouldn't get any additional amount as a spousal benefit? We were married for 22 years before divorcing 5 years ago, if that matters. Am I understanding the rules correctly that I'd just get my own benefit since it's higher than 50% of his?
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Emma Johnson
You've got it right! Since your own benefit amount ($2500) is higher than 50% of your ex-spouse's benefit ($2009 based on the 2025 maximum), you would not receive any additional amount as a spousal benefit. You'll simply receive your own retirement benefit. The spousal benefit is only paid as a "top-up" when 50% of your ex-spouse's benefit exceeds your own retirement benefit. In your case, your own benefit is already higher, so no top-up applies. One thing to note: you don't have to wait until your ex files for benefits to claim on his record. As long as you're both at least 62, you've been divorced for at least 2 years, and you haven't remarried, you can file for divorced spousal benefits regardless of whether he's filed or not.
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Leila Haddad
•Thank you for confirming! That's what I thought but the calculations get so confusing sometimes. So even if he ends up getting more than the $4018 maximum (with delayed credits or future COLAs), it still wouldn't matter for me since my benefit is already above the 50% threshold, right?
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Ravi Patel
I'm in almost the same boat as you!! My ex will probably get around $3800 and my benefit is gonna be like $2100. I thought I would get some extra money from his record too but the SS lady told me I won't get anything extra since my benefit is already higher than half of his. It's so frustrating because we were married for 30 years and he made WAY more than me the whole time! Feels unfair somehow that I don't get anything from all those years supporting his career...
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Astrid Bergström
•The system is designed that way intentionally - everyone gets either their own earned benefit OR up to 50% of their spouse's (or ex-spouse's) benefit, whichever is higher. Not both. Think of it this way - you built up a substantial benefit on your own ($2100), which is great! Many spouses who didn't work or worked very little would only get the spousal benefit, which would be less than what you earned yourself. The system rewards your own work history.
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PixelPrincess
yep you got it right. no top off if your own benefit is more than half of his.
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Omar Farouk
You're understanding correctly, but one thing to consider - the $4018 figure is the maximum for someone who reaches FRA in 2025 AND who earned at the maximum taxable wage base for 35 years. If your ex-husband didn't earn at the maximum for all 35 years of his calculation period, his PIA could be lower than that maximum figure. Also, if he claims before his FRA, his benefit would be reduced. But the principle is the same - if your own benefit is higher than 50% of his (whatever his actual amount turns out to be), then you'll just receive your own benefit without any spousal enhancement.
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Leila Haddad
•Thanks for that clarification! My ex actually did earn at or above the maximum wage base every year since his late 20s (he's in his early 60s now), so he should be pretty close to that maximum figure. But good to know the principle remains the same regardless of his exact benefit amount.
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Chloe Martin
My situation was identical!!! I was married 19 years and thought I would get extra $$ from my ex's record but NOPE! Once I talked to SSA they explained exactly what you're thinking - if your own benefit > 50% of theirs, you just get your own. I was so disappointed!
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Diego Fernández
Actually I think you're missing something important! I was told by my financial advisor that you CAN get both your own benefit AND a spousal benefit by filing a restricted application. You should look into that before making any decisions!!
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Emma Johnson
•I need to correct this misinformation. The restricted application strategy is no longer available for anyone born after January 1, 1954 due to changes made by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. Since the original poster won't reach FRA until 2026, they would have been born after 1954 and cannot use this strategy. For those born after January 1, 1954, the SSA automatically gives you the higher of either your own benefit or the spousal benefit - not both. This is called "deemed filing."
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PixelPrincess
have u tried calling ssa to confirm? their number is impossible tho, i spent 3 hours on hold last week and then got disconnected!
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Astrid Bergström
•I've had success using a service called Claimyr when I needed to reach SSA quickly. It holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is ready. Saved me hours of waiting. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU and sign up at claimyr.com. It was definitely worth it when I needed to sort out a similar benefit question last month.
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Omar Farouk
One other factor to consider: if you claim your retirement benefit before your FRA, it will be permanently reduced. At age 62, for example, you'd only get about 70% of your FRA amount. So make sure you're comparing your actual benefit amount (based on when you'll claim) to the 50% spousal benefit amount. But in your case, even with early filing reductions, it sounds like your own benefit would still exceed the 50% spousal amount from your ex's record. The general principle remains unchanged - you get the higher of the two, not both.
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Leila Haddad
•That's an excellent point! I'm actually planning to wait until my FRA to claim, possibly even longer for the delayed retirement credits. But you're right that someone filing early should definitely factor in the reduction when making these comparisons.
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Diego Fernández
When you say your benefit is "a little over $2000," is that what your Social Security statement shows for your FRA? Just make sure you're looking at the right number when comparing.
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Leila Haddad
•I actually just checked my most recent statement again, and it shows $2,547 at my FRA (which will be 67). I rounded down in my original post, but even with the exact amount, it's still more than 50% of what my ex would get at the maximum benefit level. Thanks for prompting me to double-check though!
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Ravi Patel
I wonder if there's ANY scenario where you could get more? What if he delays claiming until 70? Would 50% of his increased benefit be more than your FRA amount? Just thinking out loud here...
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Emma Johnson
•That's a good question, but unfortunately for spousal benefits (including divorced spouse benefits), the maximum you can receive is 50% of your ex-spouse's PRIMARY insurance amount (PIA), which is their benefit amount at their full retirement age. Even if the ex-spouse delays claiming until 70 and gets delayed retirement credits, those increases don't apply to the spousal benefit calculation. So the original poster would still be comparing her own benefit to 50% of her ex's benefit at his FRA, not his age 70 amount.
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