Social Security is not just about your own work record. If you are married, divorced, or widowed, you may qualify for benefits based on your spouse’s record — sometimes more than you would receive on your own. Here is how these benefits work and who qualifies.
Spousal Benefits: What They Are
A spousal benefit allows you to receive up to 50 percent of your spouse’s full retirement age (FRA) benefit, if that amount is higher than what your own work record provides. You must be at least 62 years old to claim, and your spouse must already be receiving their own Social Security benefit.
If you claim spousal benefits before your own FRA, your payment is reduced. Claiming at exactly your FRA gives you the full 50 percent. Unlike your own benefit, waiting past FRA does not increase spousal benefits — there is no advantage to delaying beyond your full retirement age.
How Social Security Calculates What You Receive
Social Security first calculates the benefit you have earned on your own work record. If your own benefit is higher than 50 percent of your spouse’s FRA amount, you simply receive your own benefit. If your spouse’s record pays more, you receive your own benefit plus the difference — not a flat 50 percent on top.
This means if you have little or no work history of your own, the spousal benefit can be a significant source of retirement income.
Divorced Spouse Benefits
Divorce does not eliminate your access to spousal benefits if the marriage lasted at least 10 years and you have not remarried. You can claim on your ex-spouse’s record even if they have not started collecting yet, as long as you are both at least 62 and have been divorced for at least two years.
Your ex-spouse’s benefit is not affected by your claim, and they are not notified. If you remarry, you generally lose access to the divorced spouse benefit unless that later marriage ends.
Survivor Benefits
When a spouse dies, the surviving spouse can receive the deceased’s full Social Security benefit — not just 50 percent. The survivor must be at least 60 years old (50 if disabled) to claim. If the surviving spouse is at or past their own FRA, they receive 100 percent of what the deceased was collecting or entitled to collect.
Survivor benefits can be claimed as early as age 60, but the amount is reduced if claimed before your own FRA. One common strategy: claim reduced survivor benefits at 60 while letting your own benefit grow until 70, then switch to your own higher benefit later.
Why the Higher Earner’s Decision Matters
Because survivor benefits are tied to what the deceased was receiving, the higher earner’s claiming decision has long-term consequences for the surviving spouse. A higher earner who delays to 70 locks in a larger monthly payment — which the surviving spouse will inherit after death. This is one of the strongest arguments for high-earning spouses to delay claiming as long as possible.
How to Apply
You can apply for spousal or survivor benefits at SSA.gov or by calling 1-800-772-1213. Social Security does not automatically grant these benefits — you need to apply separately. If you think you may qualify on a spouse’s record, it is worth checking with the SSA to compare what you would receive under each scenario.
Understanding spousal and survivor benefits can meaningfully increase your household’s retirement income, especially if one spouse had significantly higher lifetime earnings than the other.
Money Instructor does not provide tax, legal, or investment advice. This material has been prepared for educational and informational purposes only. You should consult your own advisors regarding your own financial situation.