How to Maximize Social Security With Spousal Benefits
The spousal benefit can be as much as half of the worker's "primary insurance amount," depending on the spouse's age at retirement. If the spouse begins receiving benefits before "normal (or full) retirement age," the spouse will receive a reduced benefit.
Unlike Social Security retirement benefits, the spousal benefit does not increase if you wait to take benefits beyond your full retirement age, currently age 66 for most retirees. Thus, there is no advantage in waiting beyond your full retirement age to start taking your spousal benefit.
If I wait until 70 to claim Social Security, will my spouse get a bigger benefit as well? En español | No. ... Nor does delayed retirement have any effect on the family maximum benefit — the cap on how much you, your spouse and your children can collect in total on your earnings record.
En español | Only if your spouse is not yet receiving retirement benefits. In this case, you can claim your own Social Security beginning at 62 and make the switch to spousal benefits when your husband or wife files. ... Again, Social Security will pay the greater of the two benefit amounts.
No. Each spouse can claim their own retirement benefit based solely on their individual earnings history. You can both collect your full amounts at the same time. However, your spouse's earnings could affect the overall amount you get from Social Security, if you receive spousal benefits.
You can receive up to 50% of your spouse's Social Security benefit. You can apply for benefits if you have been married for at least one year. If you have been divorced for at least two years, you can apply if the marriage lasted 10 or more years. Starting benefits early may lead to a reduction in payments.
As noted above, if you have reached full retirement age, you get 100 percent of the benefit your spouse was (or would have been) collecting. If you claim survivor benefits between age 60 (50 if disabled) and your full retirement age, you will receive between 71.5 percent and 99 percent of the deceased's benefit.
Coordinating your benefits with your spouse's benefits can help you both get the most out of your Social Security payments. In some cases, it makes sense for both spouses to claim on the same spouse's earnings record. Many couples use a "split strategy," which means they begin claiming at different ages.
For an eligible beneficiary who claims reaches full retirement age in 2021, the maximum payment is $3,148; for one who reaches age 70 in 2021, it's $3,895. If they qualify based on their own work histories, a married couple can each receive the maximum individual retirement benefit.
Yes, unless you turned 62 before Dec.
A federal law passed in 2015 eliminated two strategies couples formerly used to maximize their Social Security benefits. Spouses born after Jan. 1, 1954, can no longer claim spousal benefits and later switch to collecting benefits based on their own work record.
You cannot currently be married. As a former spouse, you must be entitled to receive Social Security retirement or disability benefits at the time the former spouse applies (whether or not the former spouse has actually started collecting benefits).
Generally, spouses and ex-spouses become eligible for survivor benefits at age 60 — 50 if they are disabled — provided they do not remarry before that age. These benefits are payable for life unless the spouse begins collecting a retirement benefit that is greater than the survivor benefit.
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