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Securing Your Retirement: A Guide to Social Security Spousal and Survivor Benefits
Retirement can present unique financial hurdles, particularly for individuals who have dedicated years to unpaid caregiving as stay-at-home parents while their spouses worked outside the home. While many associate Social Security benefits solely with a personal work history, crucial provisions exist for spouses and former spouses that can significantly bolster retirement income.
In August 2025, the Social Security Administration (SSA) reported that retired workers received an average of approximately $2,008 per month, while spousal benefits averaged around $955. Understanding your potential eligibility for these payments, based on your current or former spouse’s work history, is key to navigating your financial future.
Here’s what you need to know about Social Security spousal and survivor benefits:
Spousal Benefits Don’t Reduce Your Partner’s Income
A common misconception is that claiming a spousal Social Security benefit will diminish your spouse’s own retirement payments. This is not the case.
Your spouse will continue to receive their full entitled amount, and you will receive up to 50% of that amount as a separate spousal benefit. This makes it a financially savvy decision that can enhance your retirement budget without negatively impacting your partner.
Understanding Work History Requirements
Most individuals must have paid into Social Security for at least 10 years to qualify for their own retirement benefits. Stay-at-home parents who worked for a period before transitioning to full-time caregiving might have paid Social Security taxes but may not meet the 10-year threshold for their own benefits. Fortunately, if you were or are married to someone who paid into Social Security for 10 years and qualifies for benefits, you are likely eligible for a portion of their benefit.
Marriage Duration and Eligibility
To qualify for Social Security spousal benefits, you typically need to have been married for a full 12 months and be at least 62 years old to claim them. However, an important exception exists: if you are the natural parent of your working spouse’s biological child, this 12-month waiting period is waived, making you eligible immediately after marriage.
Benefits for Divorced Spouses
Even after a divorce, you may still be eligible for spousal benefits if your marriage lasted at least 10 years. This holds true even if your former partner has remarried. However, if you are under 62 and currently married to someone else, you generally cannot claim benefits from a former partner unless your current marriage ends (through divorce, annulment, or widowhood).
When to Apply for Benefits
Both individual workers and their qualifying spouses can begin receiving Social Security benefits as early as age 62. To ensure payments start as soon as you turn 62, you can apply up to four months prior to your birthday.
Maximizing Your Spousal Benefit
The amount of your spousal benefit depends on when you begin claiming it. If you wait until your full retirement age, you are entitled to 50% of your spouse’s (or former spouse’s) benefit.
Claiming benefits before your full retirement age will result in a reduced percentage. For example, if your full retirement age is 66 and you claim at 62, you’d receive no more than 35% of your working spouse’s benefit.
Delaying until age 64 could yield 37.5% to 40.6%, with the full 50% achieved by waiting until age 66. An exception to this reduction applies if you are caring for a qualified dependent (a child under 16 or receiving Social Security disability benefits), in which case you can receive the full benefit regardless of your age relative to 62.
Combining Your Own Benefits with Spousal Benefits
If you have your own Social Security retirement benefit due to sufficient work history, you can claim that payment starting at age 62. If your working spouse’s benefit amount is higher than yours, you will also receive an additional spousal benefit payment.
For instance, let’s say your Social Security benefit is $1,500 a month and your spouse’s is $1,625 a month. Once you apply for benefits, you would receive your $1,500 plus an extra $125 as a spousal benefit.
It’s important to note that the higher-earning spouse will not receive additional funds based on their lower-earning spouse’s benefits.
Tax Implications of Spousal Benefits
Depending on your household’s annual income, your Social Security benefits, including spousal benefits, may be taxable. For couples filing jointly, benefits are untaxed if combined income is below $32,000.
Between $32,000 and $44,000, up to 50% of your benefits could be taxed. If your combined household income exceeds $44,000, up to 85% of your benefits may be subject to federal taxes.
Spousal vs. Survivor Benefits: Key Differences
It’s crucial to distinguish between spousal and survivor benefits. If your working spouse passes away, you may qualify for Social Security survivor benefits, which can amount to 100% of your deceased spouse’s retirement benefit – significantly more than the 50% maximum for spousal benefits.
Widows and widowers generally qualify for survivor benefits if they are over age 60 and were married for at least nine continuous months. This age requirement is waived if you are disabled or caring for the decedent’s children.
Additionally, remarriage after age 60 (or 50 if disabled) does not disqualify you from receiving survivor benefits.
Survivor Benefits for Ex-Spouses
Former spouses of deceased individuals may also be eligible for survivor benefits, provided they were married for at least 10 years before divorcing. Similar to spousal benefits, remarriage after age 60 (or 50 if disabled) does not prevent an ex-spouse from receiving survivor benefits.
Applying for Benefits
When you are ready to claim spousal or survivor benefits based on a current or former partner’s work history, you can do so conveniently online through the Social Security Administration’s website.
Bottom Line
As a stay-at-home partner or parent, your contributions to your household are immense. Even without a taxable wage, you deserve financial security in retirement. Understanding your eligibility for spousal and survivor Social Security benefits is a vital step in ensuring you don’t overlook valuable income that can contribute to a more secure and stress-free retirement.