3 Facts About Social Security Spousal Benefits All Couples Must Know
If you are married, these facts about Social Security are essential to understand before you claim benefits.
Deciding when to claim Social Security benefits is often complicated since you can start your checks any time between 62 and 70, and the decision impacts both lifetime and monthly benefits. The choice becomes even more complex if you're married because it's possible one spouse may want to claim spousal benefits instead of retirement benefits.
Spousal benefits are calculated based on a spouse's work history instead of the claimant's work record. If you were a lower earner, you might benefit from getting benefits based on your spouse's salary record. However, there are a lot of rules that affect how much money spousal benefits can provide and when you are eligible for them.
As a result, married couples should make sure they understand the details about how spousal benefits work before either partner makes a benefits claim. In particular, there are three big facts that married couples must know.
