What happens if a husband and wife are both on Social Security?

Asked by: Ms. Claudine Murray Sr.  |  Last update: September 24, 2025
Score: 4.6/5 (67 votes)

If your spouse claims their own benefit, you are dually entitled. This means you apply for both retirement and spousal benefits simultaneously, and you'll get the higher of the two amounts. At age 62, you can receive spousal benefits equal to 32.5% of your spouse's full retirement age benefit amount.

What is the best Social Security strategy for married couples?

Either spouse can maximize their regular Social Security benefit amount by waiting past their full-retirement age to apply, up to age 70. Benefits generally increase 8% each year filing is delayed.

How does Social Security work for a married couple?

To determine the amount of SSI benefits a couple is eligible to receive, their combined countable income is deducted from the FBR for a couple. The result is then divided equally and paid to the couple in separate checks.

How much does a wife get of her husband's Social Security if he dies?

Surviving spouse, any age, with a child younger than age 16, gets 75% of the worker's benefit amount. Child gets 75% of the worker's benefit amount. There's a limit to the benefits we can pay to you and other family members each month. The limit varies between 150% and 180% of the deceased worker's benefit amount.

What is the spousal benefit rule for Social Security?

The spousal benefit can be as much as half of the worker's "primary insurance amount," depending on the spouse's age at retirement. If the spouse begins receiving benefits before "normal (or full) retirement age," the spouse will receive a reduced benefit.

Social Security Spousal Benefits - MADE EASY to Understand

20 related questions found

What is the loophole for Social Security spousal benefits?

The first exception, which can be deemed as the Social Security spousal benefits loophole, works where an individual who remarries at 60 or later may still be entitled to Social Security survivors' benefits if the second marriage ends before the death of the first spouse.

When a husband dies, does the wife get his Social Security disability?

If you've reached your full retirement age, you can receive 100% of your spouse's disability benefits. If you're between 50 and 59 and you also have a disability, you can receive 71.5% percent of your spouse's benefits. If you're caring for a child under the age of 16, you can receive 75% of your spouse's benefits.

Can two wives collect Social Security from one husband?

Each survivor benefit can be up to 100% of your benefit. The amount may be reduced if the women start benefits before their own full retirement age, but they don't have to share — the amount isn't reduced because you've had more than one spouse.

What not to do when your spouse dies?

What Not to Do When Someone Dies: 10 Common Mistakes
  1. Not Obtaining Multiple Copies of the Death Certificate.
  2. 2- Delaying Notification of Death.
  3. 3- Not Knowing About a Preplan for Funeral Expenses.
  4. 4- Not Understanding the Crucial Role a Funeral Director Plays.
  5. 5- Letting Others Pressure You Into Bad Decisions.

How do I get the $16728 Social Security bonus?

Specifically, a rumored $16,728 bonus that had people wondering if it was true or not in 2024? Sadly, there's no real “bonus” that retirees who receive Social Security can collect.

What are the three ways you can lose your Social Security?

Indeed, here are three ways you can lose at least part of your Social Security benefit.
  • No. 1: Keep working while taking benefits early. ...
  • No. 2: Be a substantially lower-earning spouse. ...
  • No. 3: Be alive in 2034. ...
  • Social Security still provides an important foundation for retirement.

What percentage of a husband's Social Security does a wife get?

However, your maximum spouse's benefit remains 50% of their full retirement age benefit, not their higher amount including delayed retirement credits. (Your benefit as a surviving spouse would be based on the higher amount.)

What benefits will I lose if I get married?

If you get Social Security disability or retirement benefits and you marry, your benefit will stay the same. However, other benefits such as SSI, Survivors, Divorced Spouses, and Child's benefits may be affected.

Which wife gets husbands Social Security?

Social Security covers both spouses, regardless of whether one or both brought home a paycheck over the years.

At what age do you get 100% of your Social Security?

For anyone born 1960 or later, full retirement benefits are payable at age 67.

When can a wife collect half of her husband's Social Security?

A married spouse without an earnings record (or whose record would result in a lower Social Security payment) can collect on his or her spouse's earnings record when his or her spouse turns 62. Collecting Social Security at 62 has some advantages.

What happens if my husband died and my name is not on the deed?

In many cases, the spouse can inherit your house even if their name was not on the deed. This is because of how the probate process works. When someone dies intestate, their surviving spouse is the first one who gets a chance to file a petition with the court that would initiate administration of the estate.

What is the first thing you should do when your husband dies?

10 things you need to do when your spouse dies
  • Get legal, tax and financial advice.
  • Make funeral arrangements.
  • Apply for government benefits.
  • Contact your spouse's past and recent employers.
  • File life insurance claims.
  • Call your bank or other financial institutions.

Does the first wife get everything when her husband dies?

Only about a third of all states have laws specifying that assets owned by the deceased are automatically inherited by the surviving spouse. In the remaining states, the surviving spouse may inherit between one-third and one-half of the assets, with the remainder divided among surviving children, if applicable.

What happens if both husband and wife are receiving Social Security benefits?

This means you apply for both retirement and spousal benefits simultaneously, and you'll get the higher of the two amounts. At age 62, you can receive spousal benefits equal to 32.5% of your spouse's full retirement age benefit amount. The amount you receive increases each month until you reach full retirement age.

Is it better to file separately if one spouse is on Social Security?

If you received Social Security or railroad retirement benefits and lived with your spouse at any time in the year, more of your benefits could be taxable with a separate tax return.

When my husband dies, do I get his Social Security and mine?

You cannot claim your deceased spouse's benefits in addition to your own retirement benefits. Social Security only will pay one—survivor or retirement.

Does the government give you money when your spouse dies?

Survivor benefits provide monthly payments to eligible family members of people who worked and paid Social Security taxes before they died.

What disqualifies you from Social Security survivor benefits?

If you remarry before you turn 60, your remarriage will affect the benefits you receive. After the age of 60, remarriage will no longer affect eligibility. The SSA compares survivor benefits to a life insurance policy that workers contribute to throughout their careers.

Will I lose my deceased husband's SS if I remarry?

If you remarry before age 50

As a surviving spouse or ex-spouse, you lose your eligibility for survivor or disability benefits. Your monthly payouts, however, may be reinstated if your subsequent marriage ends in an annulment or a divorce.