How Social Security Spousal Benefits Work

How Social Security Spousal Benefits Work

Can a non-working spouse receive Social Security retirement benefits based upon her husband's earnings? Yes, a husband or wife can collect a Social Security spousal benefit if the following requirements are met:

1. The spouse applying for the spousal benefit is required to be at least age 62

2. The husband must be eligible for benefits, therefore he should also be at least age 62. Additionally, the husband needs to actually sign up for Social Security retirement benefits for his wife to receive benefits based on his income. The husband can then decide to delay receiving benefits. This strategy is known as "file and suspend".

To provide an illustration, if the wife is 62 and the husband is 60, the wife can begin collecting benefits based on her own income, but she cannot receive benefits based on her husband's income until he becomes 62 and starts receiving his own benefits.

However, if the wife is 66 and the husband is only 62, then the wife can begin receiving as determined by her husband's income (remember, the husband must submit an application for his benefits before his wife will be able to collect based upon his income).

In the instances above, the wife can start receiving benefits calculated on her own earnings as soon as she turns 62 (assuming she's got at a minimum forty quarters of earnings and qualifies for benefits on her own), then change to 1 / 2 of her husband's benefit as soon as her husband becomes eligible for Social Security.

Some points you should give consideration to before applying for benefits:

If a wife applies for her Social Security spousal benefit calculated on her husband's earnings when she attains full retirement age (age 66 for people retiring now), then she'll collect half of her husband's primary insurance amount (PIA). On the other hand, if she applies for her spousal benefit at age 62, her benefit will only be 35% of her husband's PIA.

It does not help the spouse to apply after her full retirement age, as spousal benefits will not include delayed credits. On top of that, it will not benefit the wife if the husband waits to apply for benefits because she will not receive any rise in benefits that he gets by waiting to apply.

Where a spouse gets to full retirement age and becomes qualified to receive the spousal benefit or her own benefit, she may claim the spousal benefit now and hold off collecting her own benefit in order to build up delayed credits on her own benefit.

An individual can collect Social Security spousal benefits calculated on an ex-spouse's income if you were married for not less than 10 years and you are presently unmarried. In case you have more than one ex-spouse that you meet the requirements pertaining to spousal benefits, you'll get the largest benefit you qualify for. One benefit that divorced spouses have over married spouses is that a divorced spouse doesn't need to wait for a former husband to start collecting benefits as long as the pair is divorced for a minimum of 2 yrs when she applies.

Finally, the Social Security retirement system is gender neutral, so even though this article has assumed that the wife is the one applying for spousal benefits, if the wife makes more money than the husband, the husband can sign up for Social Security benefits based on his wife's earnings.

How Social Security Spousal Benefits Work
Can a spouse collect on her husband's social security if she reaches retirement age before her husband? No. In order for a wife to collect Social Security benefits on her husband's earnings the following requirements must be met:

Social Security Benefits: Guidelines To Help You Make The Most Of Your Social Security Retirement Benefits
As you get closer to retirement, choosing when to take your Social Security may seem like rolling the dice. There are so many decisions to make, such as:

A Few Key Points Which You Need To Know About Social Security Spouse Benefits
When most people think about Social Security, they naturally think of retirement benefits. However about 1/5 of all Social Security benefits are spousal or survivor benefits, so when you're planning for retirement, it's important to consider the fact that you or your spouse may collect Social Security survivor benefits

Social Security Eligibility Rules: Can A Full-Time Housewife Collect Social Security?
When Social Security was first established, most families only had one bread-earner, and only the working spouse qualified for retirement benefits. This caused financial difficulties for the spouse who didn't work (and therefore didn't qualify for Social Security) if the working spouse passed away first.

Social Security Survivor Benefits- The Thing Women Should Learn About
When Social Security was established most women did not work. Lower or no earnings combined with a longer life span meant poverty for many women when their husbands passed away. Social Security recognized these challenges and have implemented several changes to the system to help women avoid poverty.

Social Security Benefits: A Few Crucial Specifics On Cost Of Living Adjustment
For the second year in a row people who rely on Social Security will not be receiving a cost of living increase. This is only the second time since the cost of living adjustment (COLA) was adopted that recipients have not received an increase.

3 Reasons To Use A Fee Only Financial Planner
There are three different types of financial advisors: the commission broker who sells a product for a commission, the fee-based advisor who provides investment management for a percentage of the assets invested, and the fee only financial planner who provides a comprehensive financial plan for an hourly fee.

How You Will Go With Social Security Survivor Benefits After Your Spouse Passes Away
When Social Security was first established, it only paid retirement income to workers who qualified. It was later amended to include benefits for spouses and survivors, which made it more of a family or insurance plan, instead of just a retirement plan.

Find Out Tips On How To Apply For Social Security
If you areapproaching retirement, you are probably already looking into how to apply for Social Security benefits. Generally, you can apply once you are within 120 days of your 62nd birthday. There are several things you should know to make the application process as smooth as possible.

Associated Articles

Partner Sites

Lcd Tv Wall Mount Bracket

Privacy Policy Disclaimer Contact Site Map