What disability benefits mean for your spouses social. Social security not only provides benefits based on your own record, but also spousal and survivor benefits. If you are the survivor social security administration. With that said, most are aware that social security acts as an important source of income for retired workers, but less people are informed of the additional spousal benefits available to eligible married couples. How are social security spousal benefits calculated. Social security is phasing in the fra increase differently for. Online, if you are within 3 months of age 62 or older, or. The calculation for spousal benefits is based on the retirement age.
I apply for all insurance benefits for which i am eligible under title ii federal old age. This entry was posted in retirement and tagged benefits from spouse, retirement, social security. Form ssa2 information you need to apply for spouses or. Access a wealth of useful information by visiting our benefits planners. By calling our national tollfree service at 180077212 tty 18003250778 or visiting your local social security office. If you are at full retirement age, which varies according to the year you were born, social security will pay benefits starting that month. As more common questions are brought forth ill update the list let me know if theres anything missing or if any of the faqs needs a. Social securitys benefit to your spouse is called the spousal benefit, and the benefit may apply to a current spouse, widowed spouse, or exspouse if youre divorced. What disability benefits mean for your spouses social security. When it comes to information, we have over 80 years of experience.
Many americans participate in the united states social security system without fully understanding how doing so will benefit them. For example, you may be ready to retire and counting on social security as the cornerstone of your retirement plan. I was surprised to learn that he did not know about social security spousal benefits. For most americans, social security benefits remain a major source of retirement income. Collecting social security at 62 has some advantages. Thanks to social security spousal benefits, even if one spouse didnt. He was born in 1937 and began collecting social security at 62. But even more confusing is how the benefit is calculated.
He did not pay social security and does have a pension. How to maximize social security with spousal benefits. Answers to some of the most commonly asked questions financial advisers get on spousal benefits, including. The most frequent cause for confusion comes from one small difference between benefits for a spouse versus an exspouse.
You can collect benefits on a spouse s work record regardless of whether you also worked. Social security is phasing in the fra increase differently for different types of benefits. If you expect to claim spousal social security benefits, its important to understand how your timing can make a significant impact on the size of your checks. Spousal benefits for social security elder law associates pa.
How to navigate spousal benefits under new social security rules. If your benefits as a spouse are higher than your own retirement benefits, you will get a combination of benefits equaling the higher spouse benefit. How to maximize social security spousal benefits rules. At what age should you collect a social security spousal.
If you are married or divorced and nearing retirement age, you may be eligible for spousal social security benefits. Am i eligible for spouses benefits from may, when my wifes benefits begin and july when my own benefits will start. One benefit that is often overlooked is spousal benefits. Social security spousal death benefits are available to eligible beneficiaries. Even if your exspouse has not applied for hisher social security benefits, you can still apply for. Social security spousal benefits can be as much as 50% of the higherearning spouses full retirement age benefit but theres a lot more to these benefits than those simple basics. Social security spousal benefits are probably the most confusing benefit because they are considered a family benefit. For example, a highearning spouse in poor health may elect to defer taking payments past normal retirement age in order to maximize the widow or widower benefit. Finally, the social security retirement system is gender neutral, so while this article has assumed that the wife is the one applying for social security spousal benefits, if the wife earns more than the husband, the husband can apply for spousal benefits based on his wifes earnings.
Apply for social security benefits social security administration. To claim a social security benefit based on your spouses work record, your spouse has to first file for their own benefit. Social security benefits continue until the month after the death of the recipient. My wife filed an application for social security in february to take effect when she turns 70 in may. When you file for social security benefits ss benefits, the rrb must reduce your. An appointment is not required, but if you call ahead and schedule one, it may reduce the time you spend waiting to apply. After all, if youve paid social security taxes for 10 years, then youre entitled to social security benefits. Understanding spouses benefits social security matters.
The easiest way to apply for spousal social security benefits is through your my social security account at if you dont have an account, you can create one and apply from there. Form ssa1 information you need to apply for retirement. Benefits for you as a spouse social security administration. A spouse may be currently marriedor formerly marriedto an employed person, but under social security, as long as the former marriage was a longterm relationship, it still counts when it comes to claiming your social security benefits. For retirement and spousal benefits, full retirement age will reach 67. Spouses of workers who paid at least 40 quarters or 10 years of social security taxes are eligible for spousal benefits. Some years ago i was talking to a colleague at the university of delaware who was planning to retire. How to navigate spousal benefits under new social security. Online use our social security retirementmedicare benefit application to apply for retirement, spouses, divorced spouses or medicare benefits. Apply for social security benefits social security.
How to apply for social security spouse benefits sapling. Even if you have never worked under social security, you may be. You apply for social security spousal benefits with the exact same application that is used for standard retirement benefits. Applying for spousal social security disability benefits. According to social securitys website, though, you can apply for spousal benefits online. How are spousal benefits calculated for social security. Once you and your spouse start receiving social security benefits, upon the death of your spouse, you will continue to receive your benefit, or your spouse s, but not both. Knowing how your finances affect your spouses can help both of you avoid future impacts on your incomes. You may be able to collect payments under your spouses record, too. Being aware of the free spousal benefits from social security. When delaying like this, it often also makes sense for the spouse with the lower wage base to. Using social security spousal benefits to your benefit. Many people claim their benefits at age 62, which, of course, is when they are first available.
How a spouse can get benefits when his or her spouse collects disability. Form ssa1 information you need to apply for retirement benefits or medicare. These benefits are equal to half of what the person who paid into social security receives. With this in mind, ive developed the following list of frequently asked questions, a faq for social security spousal benefits. Spousal or survival benefits generally go to widows or widowers who had low or no social security work records of their own. Get all the facts you need to know before applying for spousal social security disability benefits below. The tier 1 benefit component amount of your employee, spouse or divorced spouse annuity already includes credit for the railroad workers earnings covered by social security taxes. Social security number and date of birth or age of your current spouse and. How a spouse can get benefits when his or her spouse. Poor health of one or both spouses should affect your decision about when to begin benefits. Social security does not allow what it calls retroactivity if you claim benefits before then. Did you, or your spouse, or prior spouse work in the railroad. Social security spousal and survivor benefits were created to provide some level of social security benefits to households that relied primarily on a single worker, as a means to both financially support households with stayathome spouses, and to ensure that an earners widow was not left in poverty after the primary worker passed away.
Additional confusion comes from trying to decipher what happens with spousal benefits if you claim before versus after full. Application for retirement insurance benefits social security. The easiest and quickest way to apply for retirement, spouses, exspouses, or medicare benefits is to apply online. Social securitys online applications can only be accessed by people who actually intend to file for benefits, and i have no personal experience with the online filing process. A littleknown social security spousal benefit option. Spousal benefits allow you to get up to 50 percent of the total. What is the eligibility for social security spouses. If you apply for social security spousal benefits, youll want to know the ins and outs of the process. The paper application form for spousal benefits is an ssa2, but i dont know. If youre thinking about your golden years, you may have questions like what spousal benefits does social security provide. Navigating your various retirement options may seem like quite a task. Today we go over eligibility and how you to start the application process. You can receive spousal benefits when you reach retirement age or a permanently reduced spousal benefit beginning at age 62.
One feature of social security is designed to boost the retirement income of married couples that only had one primary earner. Social security spousal benefits are partial retirement or disability benefits granted to the spouses of qualifying taxpayers. How to claim social security spousal benefits markets. Online, apply for retirement, spouses or medicare benefits. Application for wifes or husbands insurance benefits social security. You can file for a spousal benefit as early as age 62.
Your 2018 guide to social security spousal benefits the. If you do have enough credits to qualify for your own social security benefits and you apply for your own retirement benefits and for benefits as a spouse, we always pay your own benefits first. Spousal benefits spousal benefits and gpowep 0 vote up vote down willow12345 asked 3 years ago my husband is 80. But since its a governmentrun program, spouses who apply must meet first a few eligibility requirements. I will be 70 in july and am ready to file an application. To apply online, you must be at least 61 years and 9 months old. Form ssa2 information you need to apply for spouses or divorced spouses benefits. How your spouse earns social security survivors benefits. But even if theres no death, you can collect a social security spousal benefit equal to half of what your. Government pension offset rule for social security spousal. Social security spousal benefits are confusing, and among the most common thing readers ask about.
As described in the article about credits for delaying social security benefits, each year that you delay receiving your social security retirement benefit past your full retirement age fra can result in up to an 8% increase in your benefit amount. Spousal benefits and gpowep social security intelligence. That person must have worked long enough under social security to qualify for benefits. Your 2019 social security spousal benefits guide the. Would you help us understand how to figure out my wifes options. With survivor benefits, if your late spouse boosted his or her social security payment by waiting past fra to file, your survivor benefit would also increase. If you do not wish to use the online application, or the application for the benefit you want is not available online, you can. If your spouse is already receiving benefits when you apply, or if you and your spouse apply at the same time, we will also check your eligibility for benefits as a spouse. Your spousal or survivor benefits may be reduced, however, if you are under full retirement age and continue to work. If you download, print and complete a paper form, please mail or take it to your local social. My wife is currently 62 and would retire soon if we can determine how much in spousal benefits she would receive at 62, 63, 63, 65 and fra at 66 based on mine.
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