Spousal Benefits: Applying For Social Security Benefits

Spousal Benefits: Applying For Social Security Benefits

Can your spouse collect on your social security if she reaches retirement age before you do? No. In order for a wife to collect Social Security benefits on her husband's income several conditions need to be met:

1. The spouse applying for the spousal benefit is required to be at least age 62

2. The husband will need to be eligible to receive benefits, so he must also be at least age 62. What's more, the husband will have to actually sign up for Social Security retirement benefits in order for his wife to receive benefits based on his income. The husband may then decide to delay collecting benefits. This course of action is referred to as "file and suspend".

To offer an example, if the wife is 62 and the husband is 61, the wife can begin receiving benefits calculated on her own earnings, but she is unable to collect based on her husband's income until he turns 62 and starts receiving his own benefits.

Having said that, if the wife is age 66 and the husband is 62, then the wife can start receiving based on her husband's income (remember, the husband will need to submit an application for benefits before the spouse can collect based upon his earnings).

In the instances shown above, the wife can begin receiving benefits based on her own income as early as age 62 (assuming she's got a minimum of forty quarters of earnings and also qualifies for benefits on her own), then she can switch to half of her husband's benefit when her husband qualifies for Social Security.

A few areas to give some thought to before applying for benefits:

If a wife applies for her Social Security spousal benefit calculated on her husband's earnings when she reaches full retirement age (age 66 for folks retiring now), then she will collect 50% of her husband's primary insurance amount (PIA). On the other hand, if she applies for her spousal benefit at age 62, then her benefit will be reduced to just 35% of her husband's PIA.

It does not benefit the spouse to wait until after reaching full retirement age to apply for benefits, as spousal benefits do not include delayed credits. Also, it doesn't benefit the wife if the husband waits to apply for benefits because she won't get any increase in benefits that he receives by waiting to receive benefits.

If a spouse gets to full retirement age and is qualified to receive the spousal benefit or her own benefit, she may start receiving the spousal benefit now and hold off taking her own benefit so she can accumulate delayed credits on her own benefit.

You can collect Social Security spousal benefits determined by an ex-spouse's earnings if you were married for not less than ten years and you are also currently unmarried. If you have more than one ex-spouse which you qualify regarding spousal benefits, you will get the largest benefit you are entitled to. One benefit that divorced spouses have over married spouses is that a divorced spouse doesn't have to wait around for a former husband to make an application for benefits as long as the pair has been divorced for not less than 2 yrs when she applies.

As a final point, the Social Security retirement program is gender neutral, so while this article assumes that the wife is generally the one applying for spousal benefits, if the wife earns more money than her husband, the husband can sign up for Social Security benefits based on his wife's earnings.

Social Security Benefits: Recommendations To Help You Get The Most Out Of Your Social Security Income
As you get closer to retirement, choosing when to take your Social Security may seem like rolling the dice. There are so many decisions to make, such as:

How Are Social Security Benefits Calculated? Some Things And Factors Affecting The Benefits
One of the most popular Social Security questions that I hear from baby boomers getting ready to retire is "how are Social Security benefits calculated?" This is an important question because it could affect how long you need to work, whether you should continue to work during your retirement years

A Few Significant Points Which You Should Know About Social Security Spouse Benefits
When most people think about Social Security, they naturally think of retirement benefits. However about 1/5 of all Social Security benefits are spousal or survivor benefits, so when you're planning for retirement, it's important to consider the fact that you or your spouse may collect Social Security survivor benefits

Tips On How To Restore Your Own Credit Check Score In 5 Painless Ways
Having a good credit check score is an absolute must in today's lending environment. In this lagging economic environment, your credit check score is certainly more important than ever.

Making Use Of Government Grants To Upgrade And Improve Your Own House.
Being on the property ladder whether renting or owning your own home it can be a very expensive ordeal.

Secure Your Retirement Life- Start Saving Today
Getting ready for retirement is a lot harder than it used to be. Companies no longer offer pensions and many are reducing or eliminating matching contributions to 401K plans. In addition, Social Security benefits are expected to be smaller and you may have to wait longer to collect them.

Social Security Death Benefits Could Help Financially Once Husband Or Wife Or Other Loved One Has Passed Away
Qualifying relatives of individuals who have passed away can receive assistance from social security death benefits. The payments provided vary and depend on a number of things such as the payments that have been made to social security as well as the relationship of the relative to the individual.

Learn Ways To Apply For Social Security
If you areapproaching retirement, you are probably already looking into how to apply for Social Security benefits. Generally, you can apply once you are within 120 days of your 62nd birthday. There are several things you should know to make the application process as smooth as possible.

Associated Articles

Partner Sites

Flat Screen Tv Mounts

Privacy Policy Disclaimer Contact Site Map