Will I really only get 32.5% of my husband's Social Security benefit as a spouse with insufficient credits?

Your percentages are off. Spouse gets 50% of other spouse's PIA at their FRA, not 70%. The 70% is what your husband gets at 62 if his FRA is 67. And spouses don't get 32.5% - it's 35% at age 62 (if your FRA is 67). The reduction is calculated differently for retirement vs spousal.

Let me clarify how this actually works, since there's some confusion here: 1. Your husband's benefit at his Full Retirement Age (FRA) would be 100% of his PIA. If he claims at 62 and his FRA is 67, he'd receive approximately 70% of his PIA. 2. As a spouse with insufficient credits, you're eligible for spousal benefits. At YOUR full retirement age, you can receive 50% of his PIA (not his reduced benefit). 3. If you claim spousal benefits early at 62, you'd receive approximately 32.5-35% of his PIA (depending on your exact FRA). 4. For survivor benefits: If he passes away, you could receive up to 100% of what he was ACTUALLY receiving (including any reductions), not his PIA. But claiming survivor benefits early also creates reductions. The key thing to understand is that all these calculations are based on his PIA, not on his reduced benefit amount if he files early.

One thing nobody mentioned yet - for survivor benefits, timing really matters. If your husband claims at 62 and gets that 30% reduction, and then passes away, your survivor benefit would be based on that reduced amount! That's why some couples have the higher-earning spouse delay as long as possible, even if the lower-earning spouse claims early. It's called maximizing the survivor benefit.

WRONG INFO BEING SHARED HERE! For survivor benefits you get what your deceased spouse was receiving OR 82.5% of their PIA if they died before filing, whichever is HIGHER! This is different from spousal benefits!!! I know because I'm a widow dealing with this exact situation. The SS reps explained it all to me when my husband passed last year.

i spent 6 hours on hold with the SSA trying to get an answer about my spousal benefits. kept getting disconnected. finally found Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to someone at Social Security in under 15 minutes! they have this video explaining how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. worth every penny to actually talk to someone who could explain my specific situation. the agent confirmed what others are saying here - spouse gets 50% at FRA but reduced to about 32.5-35% at age 62.

this is why the system is so UNFAIR... i worked part time for 30 years while raising kids but only have 36 credits so i get almost NOTHING compared to if i had just 4 more credits!!! meanwhile my neighbor worked exactly 10 years got her 40 credits and gets full benefits!!! the whole credit system needs to be revised for people who worked but just missed the cutoff

Something nobody has mentioned yet - if you're younger than your husband, you might want to consider how the age gap affects your strategy. If he's significantly older, it might make sense for him to file later even if you file for spousal benefits early. The math gets complicated with age differences.

To answer your follow-up question: You generally cannot claim spousal benefits until your spouse has filed for their own retirement benefits. There used to be a strategy called "file and suspend" that allowed this, but it was eliminated by legislation in 2015. With a 3-year age gap, you might consider having your husband delay filing until closer to his FRA, while you wait until you reach 62 (when he'll be 65) to file for spousal benefits. This balances some early filing reduction with getting benefits sooner rather than later. Just remember: every year you wait (up to age 70 for retirement benefits), your monthly payments increase. But there's no advantage to waiting beyond your FRA for spousal benefits - they don't grow after you reach your FRA.

As someone new to this community, I want to thank everyone for sharing such detailed information! This thread has been incredibly educational. I'm in a similar situation - approaching retirement with an incomplete work history due to caregiving responsibilities. One thing I'd add for others reading this: don't forget to check if you might qualify for any credits from years you might have overlooked. I recently discovered I had earned a few more credits than I thought from some part-time work I'd forgotten about. The SSA's online account shows your complete earnings history, which can help you see exactly where you stand on the 40-credit requirement. Also, for those feeling frustrated about the credit system - while it's not perfect, remember that spousal benefits were designed as a safety net for exactly these situations. Even without your own work credits, you can still receive meaningful benefits through your spouse's record.

As a newcomer to this community, I want to share something that might help others in similar situations. I'm also approaching retirement with limited work credits due to years spent caring for elderly parents. One thing I learned from my local SSA office is that if you're close to getting those 40 credits, you might still have time to earn the remaining ones. You can earn up to 4 credits per year (in 2024, you need $1,730 in earnings for each credit), so even part-time work could help you qualify for your own retirement benefits rather than relying solely on spousal benefits. For example, if someone has 38 credits like StarSurfer mentioned, they'd only need 6 more months of earnings at around $3,460 total to get those final 2 credits. Sometimes a small amount of self-employment income or part-time work can make a significant difference in your long-term financial security. Of course, this doesn't work for everyone's situation, but it's worth considering if you're on the borderline and still have some working years ahead of you.

As a newcomer to this community, I want to add another perspective that might be helpful for those navigating spousal benefits with insufficient work credits. I'm in a very similar situation - spent most of my career in part-time roles while managing household responsibilities, and I'm now realizing how this impacts my Social Security planning. What I've learned through my own research and speaking with a financial advisor is that there's actually a "deemed filing" rule that's important to understand if you're eligible for both spousal benefits and your own retirement benefits. If you do manage to earn those 40 credits (as Chloe mentioned), and you file before your full retirement age, Social Security automatically files you for both your own benefit AND spousal benefits, then pays you the higher of the two. You can't choose to take just one or the other if you file early. This is why it's crucial to run the numbers both ways - sometimes the spousal benefit might actually be higher than your own earned benefit, especially if your earnings history has been modest. The SSA's online calculator can help you estimate both scenarios. Also, for anyone feeling overwhelmed by all these rules and calculations, many local libraries offer free AARP tax assistance programs during tax season, and the volunteers there are often very knowledgeable about Social Security strategies. It's another resource worth exploring if you can't get through to SSA directly.

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for this incredibly detailed discussion! I'm in a somewhat similar situation - approaching retirement with gaps in my work history due to raising children and caring for aging parents. Reading through all these responses has really highlighted how complex Social Security planning can be, especially for those of us who don't have traditional full-time work histories. A few key takeaways that really stood out to me: 1. The importance of understanding that spousal benefit calculations are based on the higher-earning spouse's PIA, not their actual reduced benefit if they file early 2. The strategic consideration around survivor benefits - having the higher earner delay filing can protect the surviving spouse's future income 3. The "deemed filing" rule Christopher mentioned - I had no idea you can't choose between your own benefit and spousal benefits when filing before FRA One question I have for the group: For those who have actually gone through this process, how far in advance did you start planning your filing strategy? I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the variables to consider (timing, reductions, survivor benefits, etc.) and wondering if there's a "sweet spot" for when to start seriously mapping out these decisions. Also, has anyone here used the SSA's online benefit calculators, and if so, how accurate did they prove to be compared to what you actually received?