Spousal Social Security: Maximizing Benefits for Couples
Marriage unlocks additional Social Security benefits. Understanding spousal and survivor benefits—and how they interact with claiming age—can add tens of thousands to your lifetime benefits.
Spousal Benefits: The Basics
If you're married (or were married for at least 10 years before divorce), you may be entitled to a spousal benefit based on your spouse's work record. At full retirement age (FRA), the spousal benefit is 50% of your spouse's FRA benefit.
Key rules:
- Your spouse must have filed for their own benefit (or be 62+)
- You must be at least 62 to claim spousal benefits
- You automatically receive the higher of your own benefit or the spousal benefit
- Claiming before FRA reduces the spousal benefit
Important: Unlike your own benefit, spousal benefits do NOT increase past FRA. There's no bonus for waiting until 70 to claim a spousal benefit.
Survivor Benefits: The Bigger Picture
When one spouse dies, the surviving spouse can claim a survivor benefit equal to 100% of what the deceased was receiving (or would have received at FRA if they died before claiming).
This is where the higher earner's claiming decision becomes critical:
The Survivor Benefit Impact
John's FRA benefit: $2,500/month. Mary's FRA benefit: $1,200/month.
If John claims at 62: His benefit is reduced to ~$1,750. When he dies, Mary's survivor benefit is $1,750.
If John claims at 70: His benefit grows to ~$3,100. When he dies, Mary's survivor benefit is $3,100.
The difference: $1,350/month for potentially 20+ years of Mary's widowhood—over $300,000 in total.
Claiming Strategies for Couples
Strategy 1: Higher Earner Delays to 70
The higher earner (often the husband, statistically) delays to 70 to maximize the survivor benefit. The lower earner may claim earlier to provide income during the delay period.
Strategy 2: Lower Earner Claims Early
If one spouse has a much lower benefit and/or health concerns, they can claim early. This provides income while the higher earner waits. The lower earner's benefit eventually gets replaced by the survivor benefit anyway.
Strategy 3: Both Delay (If You Can Afford It)
If you have sufficient savings to bridge the gap, both spouses delaying maximizes total lifetime benefits—assuming at least average life expectancy.
Divorced Spouse Benefits
If you were married for at least 10 years, you may claim spousal benefits on your ex-spouse's record. Rules:
- You must be unmarried (or remarried after age 60)
- You must be at least 62
- Your ex must be entitled to benefits (but doesn't need to have claimed)
- Your benefit doesn't affect your ex's benefit or their current spouse's benefit
When Spousal Benefits Don't Help
If your own benefit is more than half of your spouse's FRA benefit, you won't receive any additional spousal benefit. You simply get your own higher benefit.
Example: If your FRA benefit is $2,000 and your spouse's is $3,000, the spousal benefit would be $1,500—less than your own. You'd receive $2,000 (your own benefit).
The Widow(er)'s Claiming Decision
Survivor benefits have their own rules:
- Can be claimed as early as age 60 (50 if disabled)
- Claiming before FRA reduces the benefit
- You can switch from survivor to your own benefit (or vice versa) to optimize
A common strategy: Claim the reduced survivor benefit early, then switch to your own (larger) benefit at 70.
How Talk Through Wealth Helps
Model spousal and survivor benefits together:
- Compare combined lifetime benefits under different claiming ages
- See the impact of survivor benefits on the surviving spouse
- Factor in life expectancy differences between spouses
- Model divorced spouse benefit scenarios
- Optimize the claiming strategy for your specific situation
Optimize Your Couple's Strategy
Join the waitlist to model spousal Social Security benefits.
Join the Waitlist