My wife applied for spousal benefits from Social Security but got her own smaller benefit instead

A Reddit user was surprised by the way the Social Security Administration processed his wife’s benefits claim. He explained that she applied for spousal benefits, but ended up getting her own smaller benefit instead.

Why would this happen, and what can the couple do about it? 

Why would a Social Security application for spousal benefits be unsuccessful?

Applying for Social Security benefits can be pretty complicated — especially for married couples. However, the basic rule is that you can get benefits based on your own work record or based on your spouse’s work history.

If your spouse was a higher earner, your spousal benefits may be worth more than your own benefits. If you do claim spousal benefits, you can get up to 50% of your spouse’s primary benefit, which is the benefit they would get at their full retirement age. So, if your spouse is entitled to a standard benefit of $2,000 and you claim spousal benefits, you could receive up to $1,000. If you claim ahead of your own full retirement age, that amount is reduced. 

In this particular case, the Reddit poster’s wife tried to apply for her spousal benefits and failed, though. Now, the primary reason for that to happen is that the primary earner hasn’t yet claimed benefits. Social Security will not allow a spousal benefits claim unless the primary earner is getting retirement benefits. So, the wife in this scenario can’t access her spousal benefits until the husband claims. She can get her own lower benefit based on her work history, but has to wait for her husband to get his retirement checks to get the higher payments from his work record. 

However, the OP said he did claim his retirement benefits already — in which case, the wife should be able to get that boosted benefit payment. And, the good news is, she likely will soon. Several Redditors explained that the Social Security Administration likely processed the claim based off of her own work record first and she will get a top-off for the spousal benefit once that claim is processed by Social Security. 

What can you do if you get the wrong benefit amount?

Although there’s an explanation for the wife’s lower benefit in this case, it still doesn’t hurt to go to the Social Security office to make sure the right payment is eventually made. Multiple other posters suggested making an appointment with the local office to confirm the spousal benefit claim is still being processed, and it’s definitely a good idea to do that since you don’t want to leave Social Security funds on the table. The OP said he made an appointment, so things should be sorted soon.

This couple has made their choices already and now has to just wait for Social Security to carry them out. However, for those who are married but who have not yet decided how to claim benefits, it’s important to realize there are a huge number of different strategies that couples can use to maximize their combined lifetime income from Social Security.

Given how important these guaranteed inflation-protected benefits are to a secure future, it’s a good idea for couples to get advice from a financial advisor on how best to claim them. The right strategy could lead to tens of thousands of dollars more income over retirement, and it’s well worth getting the financial advice necessary to make that happen. 

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