I’m Eligible for Social Security But Want to Know if I Can Claim a Spousal Benefit As Well

When you think about the things you do in your spare time, learning about Social Security probably isn’t one of them. It’s not exactly a thrilling activity, after all.

But the reality is that Social Security might play an important role in your retirement finances. So it’s important to understand exactly how the program works.

It’s also important to recognize that you may be eligible for different types of benefits through Social Security. Such is the case in this Reddit post.

Here, we have a couple that retired at full retirement age (FRA), which is 67 for people born in 1960 or later. The couple is upset because the wife retired first and the spouse writing the post retired two years later. But they’re upset because it seems like they could’ve had spousal benefits for some or all of that time.

But did the couple actually make a mistake? Maybe. Now, let’s see if they can fix it.

How Social Security spousal benefits work

Social Security will pay spousal benefits to the current or former spouses of people who are eligible for retirement benefits. If you never worked and therefore can’t qualify for Social Security on your own, you may be entitled to spousal benefits, which max out at 50% of what your spouse is able to receive at FRA.

But even if you did work and are eligible for Social Security based on your own income record, you can still collect spousal benefits if they’ll be larger than the amount you’re entitled to on your own.

So let’s say that based on your income record, you’re eligible for $1,400 a month in Social Security. And let’s say your spouse is eligible for $3,000 a month at FRA. That puts the value of your spousal benefit at $1,500, since it’s half of your spouse’s total.

Social Security will not pay you a spousal benefit plus your own benefit. You’ll only get the larger of the two. But in this case, you’d be looking at an extra $100 per month collecting a spousal benefit, as opposed to your own benefit.

Did the couple here make a mistake?

The couple seems worried about missing out on spousal benefits. The wife didn’t lose out on those benefits initially when she signed up, because when you’re married, you can’t get those benefits until your spouse claims Social Security.

Did the poster miss out on spousal benefits? That’s possible.

But the poster doesn’t seem concerned with missing out on spousal benefits. They want to know if their wife missed out on spousal benefits by not claiming them once they, the poster, signed up for Social Security.

It’s hard to know. If the wife’s spousal benefits, at that point, would’ve been larger than her own benefits, then it would’ve been advantageous to claim spousal benefits once the poster filed for Social Security. But what’s odd is that Social Security will usually bump you up to a spousal benefit automatically when that results in a larger monthly check.

Some Reddit users advised the couple to contact Social Security and try to see if the wife is entitled to retroactive benefits. It may be that she is if she indeed missed out on higher payments.

But all told, there’s a lesson to be learned here. Social Security is very complex, and not completely understanding the rules could cost you money.

So do yourself a favor and read up on Social Security before you retire. Doing so could spare you from landing in a situation like the one this couple is now in.

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