Maximizing Social Security Benefits: Spousal Benefits

When it comes to income, few sources are more important — or more reliable — than Social Security. And guess what? There are ways to potentially maximize your Social Security benefits, thereby increasing your post-retirement income. 

One important method is to claim a spousal benefit. You see, married individuals can claim Social Security based on either their personal earnings record (in other words, their own work history) or on their spouse’s earnings record. If a married individual chooses the latter, they could receive up to 50% of their spouse’s benefit.

Why choose to claim benefits based on 50% of your spouse’s earnings record rather than your own? Simple: because you can claim whichever number is higher. If, for example, you don’t have enough Social Security credits to get benefits on your own work record — or if you didn’t work long enough to earn a significant benefit for yourself — than claiming spousal benefits may be the right option.

Now, it’s important to keep in mind that a spousal benefit is up to 50% of your spouse’s full retirement age benefit. The chart below shows each person’s FRA as determined by their birth year:  

The reason this matters is because many people choose to delay claiming their Social Security benefits until after their full retirement age, as benefits increase for each year you wait. However, postponing does not affect their spouse’s benefit — it will always be 50% of their full retirement age.

To qualify for a spousal benefit, you must be at least 62 or older, or have a child younger than 16 who is either in your care or has a disability.

It’s important to know well in advance how much in Social Security benefits married couples are eligible to receive, so each person can determine whether it makes sense to claim their own benefit or their spouse’s. Please let us know if you ever need any assistance in estimating your own Social Security benefits.