Will my wife's $800 Social Security benefit increase to half of my $3000 when I file at 66?
I'm trying to understand how spousal benefits work with Social Security. My wife started collecting her retirement benefits last year at 67 and gets about $800 per month. I'm turning 66 next month and planning to file for my own benefits in March, which should be around $3,000 monthly based on my earnings history. Will my wife automatically get an increase to her benefit amount once I start collecting? I've heard something about spouses being eligible for up to 50% of their partner's benefit, but I'm confused about whether this applies since she's already receiving her own retirement benefit. Would she get an additional $700 to reach $1,500 (half of my benefit), or does it not work that way? Any help understanding this would be greatly appreciated!
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Isabella Oliveira
Yes, your wife should receive a spousal benefit that would bring her total to half of your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), which is $1,500 in your case. Since she's already receiving her own benefit of $800, the SSA will pay her an additional $700 as the spousal benefit. This is called the "excess spousal benefit" - the difference between her benefit and half of yours. The increase should happen automatically after you file, but there can sometimes be delays in processing, so it's good to check her account a couple months after you start receiving your benefits to make sure the adjustment was made.
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Malik Jackson
•Thank you so much for explaining! That's exactly what I was hoping would happen. Do you know how long it typically takes for her benefit to increase after I file? Should we contact SSA to make sure they process the spousal benefit, or will it truly happen automatically?
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Ravi Patel
it doesnt always happen automatically in my experience!! when my husband filed last yr they didnt give me the extra amount until i called them. had to wait on hold for like 3 hrs!!! make sure she checks her account online after u file and if it doesn't change in a month or 2 definitely call them.
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Malik Jackson
•Oh that's good to know! I'll make sure we keep an eye on her payments. Last thing I want is for her to miss out on money she's entitled to.
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Freya Andersen
I went through this EXACT situation with my wife last year. Yes, she'll get the extra amount to bring her up to 50% of your benefit, BUT here's what they don't tell you - if she started collecting her own benefit before her Full Retirement Age, she won't get the full 50%! The spousal benefit gets reduced if she claimed early. Since she was 67 when she started though, she should get the full amount. Just be prepared for a 2-3 month delay before the increase shows up. The SSA is INCREDIBLY slow with everything these days.
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Omar Zaki
•Actually that's not quite right. The reduction for claiming early only applies to her own benefit OR if she claims spousal benefits early. Since she's already past her FRA (67), there's no reduction to her spousal benefit. The 50% is based on the husband's PIA - what he would receive at his full retirement age - not what he actually receives. So even if he delayed claiming until 70 for the 32% increase, her spousal benefit would still be based on his PIA at 66, not the increased amount.
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CosmicCrusader
Just make sure both of you have created your my social security accounts online! That way you can track everything. My sister had this exact situation and they did eventually give her the spousal increase but it took almost 3 months to kick in.
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Malik Jackson
•We both have online accounts, so that's good advice. I'll check them regularly after I file. I'm hoping it won't take too long, but at least now I know there might be a wait.
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Chloe Robinson
When I tried calling SSA about a similar situation with my wife's benefits, I spent days trying to get through. The hold times were insane and I got disconnected twice after waiting over an hour. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me so much frustration when trying to make sure my wife's spousal benefits were processed correctly. Might be worth checking out if you end up needing to call them.
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Malik Jackson
•Thanks for the tip! I'll keep that in mind if we need to call. The phone system at SSA is notoriously difficult from what I've heard.
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Diego Flores
Just wanted to add one important thing - if your wife is getting any type of government pension from a job where she didn't pay Social Security taxes (like some teachers, state or federal employees), the Government Pension Offset (GPO) might reduce or eliminate her spousal benefits. My wife was a teacher in Illinois and lost most of her spousal benefit because of this. It's a nasty surprise if you're not expecting it!
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Malik Jackson
•Thankfully that doesn't apply to us - she worked in retail management her whole career and paid into Social Security the entire time. But that's definitely good information for others to be aware of!
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Omar Zaki
One last thing to consider: the spousal benefit increase should be processed automatically, but it's always a good idea to contact SSA directly when you file for your retirement benefits to make sure they're aware of your marital status. Make sure they have your marriage information correctly recorded in their system. Also, your wife might receive retroactive spousal benefits back to the month you first start receiving your retirement benefits, so keep an eye out for that potential lump sum payment as well.
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Malik Jackson
•That's really helpful - I hadn't thought about possibly getting some retroactive benefits. I'll definitely mention our marriage status when I apply just to make sure everything is properly recorded. Thanks for all the great information!
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