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Social Security benefits for spouses are a common source of confusion. MassMutual reports that 25% of surveyed adults near retirement age were unaware that spouses can collect Social Security based on the earnings history of their partner, and 40% were unaware that ex-spouses without work history can also collect benefits in certain situations.
Those knowledge gaps may lead to financial mistakes in retirement. Here are four things married couples need to know about spousal Social Security benefits in 2025.
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1. Spouses can collect Social Security benefits based on their retired partner’s work record
Social Security retirement benefits are available to retired workers and spouses, even when the spouse has no work history. Spouses can claim benefits on the earnings record of their retired partner, so long as the listed conditions are satisfied.
- The couple must have been married for at least one year.
- The spouse must be at least 62 years of age.
- The partner must be receiving retirement benefits.
In certain cases, spouses will be eligible for retired-worker benefits on their own earnings record and spousal benefits on the earnings record of their retired partner. In that scenario, the higher benefit will be awarded.
2. Spouses can maximize their benefit by claiming at full retirement age
Social Security spousal benefits depend on the claim age of the spouse and the primary insurance amount (PIA) of the retired worker on whose record they claim benefits. The term PIA references the benefit a retired worker will receive if they start Social Security at full retirement age (FRA), which is age 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later.
The spousal benefit will equal 50% of the retired worker’s PIA if the spouse claims Social Security at FRA. Spouses that claim earlier than FRA get a smaller payout, meaning less than 50% of their partner’s PIA. The exact reduction depends on how many months early benefits start. But it would be most severe at age 62, the earliest possible claiming age.
The following chart shows the spousal benefit (as a percentage of their retired partner’s PIA) for anyone born in 1960 or later.
|
Spouse’s Age |
Spousal Social Security Benefit |
|---|---|
|
62 |
32.5% |
|
63 |
35% |
|
64 |
37.5% |
|
65 |
41.7% |
|
66 |
45.8% |
|
67 |
50% |
Data source: The Social Security Administration. Note: The figures represent spousal benefits as a percentage of their retired partner’s PIA.
Importantly, spouses do not earn delayed retirement credits. That means there is no advantage to delaying Social Security beyond FRA. Put differently, spouses can maximize their payout by claiming benefits at FRA. That differs from retired workers, who do earn delayed retirement credits that increase their payout if they start Social Security later than FRA.
3. Divorced spouses can collect Social Security benefits on their ex-partner’s work record
Divorced spouses can still collect Social Security benefits based on the work record of their ex-partner, provided the following conditions are satisfied.
- The divorced spouse is at least 62 years old.
- The marriage lasted at least 10 years.
- The divorced spouse has not remarried.
- The spouse has been divorced for at least 2 years.
There are three points of possible confusion. First, while spouses cannot usually collect benefits on their partner’s earnings record unless that partner is also receiving retirement benefits, that rule does not apply to divorced spouses. Second, divorced spouses can still collect benefits on their ex-partner’s earnings record even if that ex-partner remarries. Only the spouse’s marital status impacts eligibility.
Third, some divorced spouses worry that claiming Social Security on the work record of their ex-partner will impact their ex-partner’s benefit. Others worry their ex-partner will be notified if they collect spousal benefits. Neither is true. The ex-partner’s payout does not change, nor will they be notified.
4. Spouses cannot collect a spousal benefit while delaying their own retired-worker benefit
As mentioned, some spouses will be eligible for retired-worker benefits based on their earnings record, as well as spousal benefits based on their retired partner’s earnings record. In that scenario, the spouse cannot delay their own retired-worker benefit while simultaneously collecting the spousal benefit.
Deemed filing rules prevent that. To elaborate, when someone applies for retired-worker or spousal benefits, they are required (or deemed) to file for both types. That person will be awarded the larger of the two benefits. Deemed filing rules close a loophole whereby spouses used to strategically delay their retired-worker benefit (to earn a bigger payout) while still collecting income from Social Security in the form of spousal benefits.
Importantly, deemed filing rules only apply to retirement benefits, not survivors benefits. That means a widow or widower could collect a survivors benefit while delaying their own retired-worker benefit to earn delayed retirement credits and a bigger Social Security payout in the future.
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