Will my Social Security spousal benefits be based on husband's original 2011 amount or his current payment?

im pretty sure its based on his CURRENT benefit amount not the original one from 2011. my wife started gettin spousal benefits last year and it was based on what i get now not what i got when i first filed.

Your spousal benefit will be based on your husband's current benefit amount, including all Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) that have been applied since 2011. The maximum spousal benefit you can receive is 50% of your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is the benefit amount he would receive at his full retirement age. Since your husband filed 2 months early, his benefit was slightly reduced. However, your spousal benefit calculation is based on his PIA, not his reduced benefit amount. When you apply, make sure you have your marriage certificate, both your Social Security numbers, and birth certificates ready. The SSA will calculate the optimal benefit for you based on your own work record and the spousal benefit.

To clarify: The 50% spousal benefit is based on your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is what he would have received at his Full Retirement Age. Your husband's actual benefit was reduced because he claimed 2 months early, but this reduction doesn't affect the PIA used to calculate your spousal benefit. However, your own spousal benefit will be reduced if YOU claim it before YOUR full retirement age. Each person's early filing reduction applies only to their own benefit.

JUST BE CAREFUL with what SSA tells you when you call!!! When I applied for spousal benefits last year, the first agent told me completely WRONG information about my benefit amount. Said it would be based on my husbands ORIGINAL amount from when he filed in 2009!!! I hung up and called back later and got someone who knew what they were talking about. The second person confirmed it's based on his CURRENT benefit after all the COLAs.

I went through this exact situation last year. Your spousal benefit will be calculated based on your husband's PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) with all COLAs applied, not his original 2011 amount. The PIA is the benefit amount he would have received had he waited until his Full Retirement Age. The calculation is as follows: 1. Start with your husband's PIA including all COLAs since 2011 2. Your maximum spousal benefit is 50% of that amount 3. If you claim before your FRA, your spousal benefit will be permanently reduced Also note that if you have your own work record, SSA will pay your own retirement benefit first, and then supplement it with spousal benefits if the spousal amount would be higher.

My mom had this exact situation! She thought her spousal benefit would be based on dad's original amount from years ago, but when she applied in 2023, it was based on his current payment after all those years of COLAs. She was pleasantly surprised it was higher than expected! But omg the wait time to get this info from SS was ridiculous - she waited on hold for over 3 hours before giving up.

Thank you all for the helpful responses! This clarifies so much for me. I'll definitely wait until my FRA to apply for the spousal benefit to avoid any reductions. And I'll gather all my documentation ahead of time - marriage certificate, birth certificates, etc. It sounds like I should be prepared for possibly getting different information depending on which SSA representative I speak with. I might try that Claimyr service someone mentioned if I have trouble getting through on the phone. Thanks again everyone!

make sure u bring ur original marriage certificate not a copy when u go to apply! They wouldnt accept the copy i brought and i had to reschedule my whole appointment!

Anyone know how long the spousal application process takes these days? When my friend applied last Nov it took almost 3 months for her first payment!

Current processing times for spousal benefits are running about 3-5 weeks for straightforward applications with all required documentation. However, if there are any complications or missing documents, it can take 2-3 months. I recommend applying about 3 months before you want benefits to begin. Also, remember that benefits are paid in the month following the month they're due for. So your January benefit arrives in February, etc. This sometimes confuses people who are expecting their first payment immediately.

I'm in a similar boat - my husband filed early in 2012 and I'm getting close to retirement myself. One thing I learned from my research is that you should also check if you're eligible for "deemed filing" rules depending on when you were born. If you were born before January 2, 1954, you might have some additional strategic options for timing your applications. Also, don't forget that spousal benefits can be paid retroactively up to 6 months before your application date if you're already past your FRA when you apply. The SSA website has a really helpful benefits calculator tool that can give you estimates based on different claiming scenarios - it's under "my Social Security" if you create an account.