What Are Social Security Spousal Benefits?

Social Security provides several types of benefits, and not all are tied to your earnings. Spousal benefits are based on your partner's lifetime earnings, designed to bridge income gaps between spouses.

So how do you qualify? If your spouse is already receiving retirement or disability benefits, you've been married for over a year, and you're 62 or older, chances are you're eligible.

The amount you receive depends on your age when filing, typically ranging from 32 to 50 percent of your spouse’s full monthly retirement payment. However, there are a few important things to note.

First, collecting spousal benefits will not affect how much your spouse receives, so do not worry about their payments.

Second, if you are eligible for your own Social Security retirement benefit, you will receive the higher of the two, not both.

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*CHAPTERS*
00:00 Social Security Spousal Benefits
00:21 What Are Spousal Benefits?
00:38 How to Qualify for Spousal Benefits
00:52 Social Security Spousal Benefit Amounts

#aarp #socialsecurity #spouse

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[Melroseman]

61 and 10 months old on ssdi. Will I loose my Medicare at 62 yr old?

[oneillbilder]

Am 58 retiring next year but the thought of retirement gives me weakness. My apologies to everyone who have retired and filing social security during this time after putting in all those years of work just to lose everything to a problem you never imagined to happen. It’s so difficult for people who are retired and have no savings or loved ones to fall back on.

[BillAnderson-qo]

Wow I'm being jipped !!! My wife passed at 60 I filed at 62 1/2. I only get $129.00 per month.. From her $2200 per month my wife qualified for...!!! Why ???

[Greggsberdard]

I’ve contributed to Social Security for over 40 years, and I’m not waiting any longer to start collecting. I’m opting to take it early—it’s guaranteed, so why not? Now, my focus is on investing in myself and putting my money into the market. Over time, I’ve realized that true wealth is built through strategic investments.

[wandathomas]

Married 54 years. At 66 I took half my husband’s SS and continued working. Then at 70 I switched to my own SS benefits that had increased a LOT by waiting. During those four years I did get a few hundred dollars less each month but made that amount back in two years and draw about a thousand more each month until I die (and the women in my family live a very long time).

[sherrieglover]

I married more than 30 years he had his social securty we divorced my social security was 800 per month I filed for some of his they gave me 79.00 so I had to go back to work and we divorced ten years ago. The money from his investments court said half I never saw a dime in words this works for some but not all

[ollenepoundstone]

Will my husband passed away I was collecting my social security and he was collecting his. When he passed away they took my benefits away from me which they were my benefits I paid into them every year every paycheck. What gives him the right what year did the right to shake my social security away just because my husband passed away? I should have been entitled to his benefits and my benefits also. They gave me his benefits but took away mine. What are income to more then $800 a month. Just left me living on
1400 dollars a month. I could barely get by. I feel that the government stoled my retirement fund. How can they do this legally?

[GordonLemings]

If I'm 57 and my wife is 70 can she start drawing on my social security before I retire

[jeanniestaller]

What if my husband doesn't qualify for Social Security but has civil service benefits only? Does he qualify for spousal benefits from my social security?

[LindaClinger]

If a divorced person is receiving spousal benefits and eventually remarries, can he/she then switch to receiving their own benefit amount?

[kathleenrushing]

So it depends on how much you worked in your life. If half of your spouses ss is more than what you get personally you can apply for half the amount your spouse receives.

[grettalemabouchou]

It's called they're good at.

[BerthaRuiz-iu]

Not much enlighten in less than 3 min. Video.

[denisecaccavale]

What if my husband is younger than me and still working while I’m retiring before him

[richardbanks]

Lady you're supposed to be the expert if you don't know who would know?

[evelynthomas]

I am a victim of Regan’s double dipping law that was passed 25 years ago. I am a 84 year civil service retiree living below poverty level because I cannot draw my husband’s security because I get $26, 000 a year ands the cut off is $25, 000 a year.. this law is truly outdated and need to be changed.

[evelynthomas]

These politicians do not care about people. They only care about themselves

[robinchesser]

My fiancé was dying we did a quick hospital wedding he passed away two weeks later, no spousal benefits for me

[toantruong]

So if I claim spousal SS at 62, do I get full half (presuming my benefit is lower) or 30% off half of my spousal benefit? Thanks.

[brendahall]

2:02 I want to know a couple of things. Why is social security allowed to take back a spouses benefit at their death? My husband passed over 2 weeks after his check was deposited. His bills had already been paid and grceries bought, insurance, etc. There was literally nothing to take back. But they were allowed to deduct it from our checking account. It took me 8 months of jumping through government hoops to prove I was his legal wife and entitled to the refund of what they had stolen. On top of that, those payments are paid one month in arrears, so technically, they also owed him for the month he died in too!
Did you know you lose your spouse's benefit at their death, unless theirs is more than yours. Then they take yours instead! Why? Our whole family sacrificed the income to pay into social security as long as he paid it. Why doesn't the remaining money belong to me until I die too?