Trying to understand my 90-year-old mom's $900 Social Security benefit - is it spousal?

Yes, your mom is receiving a spousal benefit based on your father's work record. The spousal benefit is typically 50% of the worker's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) at their Full Retirement Age (FRA). However, the $900 amount may be less than 50% of your father's current benefit for a few reasons: 1. If your father delayed claiming past his FRA to earn delayed retirement credits, those extra increases don't apply to spousal benefits 2. If your mother claimed her spousal benefit before her own FRA, it would be permanently reduced 3. Your father's benefit may include cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) that have accumulated differently You should check with SSA to make sure she's receiving the correct amount. It's worth verifying, especially at her age.

my mom gets SS too and never worked. hers is like $1100. did ur mom start getting it before full retirement age? that cuts it down alot. once u take it early its stuck that way forever.

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation with my parents (though they're younger than yours). We discovered that my mom's benefit was actually calculated incorrectly years ago. When we finally got through to SSA after WEEKS of calling, they fixed it and she got a small increase plus some backpay. The problem is actually getting through to someone at Social Security who can review the calculation. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent without the usual wait times. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU that shows how it works. Totally worth it for me because I had already wasted so many mornings on hold with SSA.

This is a textbook case of a spousal benefit. Based on your mother's age (90), her Full Retirement Age would have been 65. If she claimed at exactly her FRA, she would receive 50% of your father's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). Important point: If your father delayed his claim to age 70 to maximize his benefits, his increased amount from delayed retirement credits does NOT increase your mother's spousal benefit. Her 50% is based on his PIA at his FRA, not his actual increased benefit. Also, the $900 figure has likely been affected by various COLAs over the years. I recommend requesting an appointment with SSA to review her benefit calculation to ensure it's correct.

THE SSA MAKES MISTAKES ALL THE TIME!!! My aunt was underpaid for 6 YEARS before we figured it out. The SSA owed her over $12,000 in backpay!!! Don't assume they calculated it right. DEMAND to see the calculation and have them explain EXACTLY how they arrived at $900. The government hopes people don't notice these "errors" that always seem to benefit them not us!!!

btw i think its actually called an "aged spouse benefit" when they're both still alive. its different than survivor benefits which is what she'd get if ur dad passes away. those r higher usually

Thank you all for these helpful responses! I'm going to call SSA tomorrow to verify mom's benefit calculation. At 90, I want to make sure she's getting everything she's entitled to. I'll ask specifically about how they calculated the spousal benefit and whether it's based on dad's PIA at his FRA. I hadn't realized the delayed credits he earned wouldn't apply to her benefit, so that explains a lot!

my grandma got the same thing, its normal for women of that generation who didnt work outside the home. its def the spousal benefit and $900 sounds about right for someone that age who prob claimed years ago. the benefit increases every year with COLA but not by much.

Since both of your parents are in their 90s, it's also worth looking into whether your mother might qualify for a higher survivor benefit when your father passes away. The survivor benefit would be up to 100% of what your father receives (including his delayed retirement credits), which would be substantially higher than her current spousal benefit. This is important financial planning to consider at their ages. You might want to discuss this with a benefits specialist at SSA once you get through to them.