Spousal Benefits Explained: Coordinating Your Claiming Strategy

For married couples, Social Security isn't just two individual decisions. It's a coordinated strategy that can add tens of thousands of dollars to your lifetime benefits. Understanding spousal benefits, survivor benefits, and how they interact is essential for maximizing what you'll receive.

How Spousal Benefits Work

A spouse can claim benefits based on their own work record or receive up to 50% of their spouse's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), whichever is higher. This is particularly valuable when one spouse earned significantly more than the other.

Example: John's PIA is $3,000/month. Mary's PIA based on her own work record is $1,000/month. At FRA, Mary can receive $1,500 (50% of John's PIA) instead of her own $1,000, a 50% increase.

Survivor Benefits: The Bigger Picture

Survivor benefits are often more important than spousal benefits. When one spouse dies, the survivor receives the higher of their own benefit or the deceased's benefit, including any delayed retirement credits the deceased earned.

This is why the higher earner's claiming decision is so critical:

Common Coordination Strategies

Strategy 1: Higher Earner Delays, Lower Earner Claims Early

This is often the optimal strategy for couples with different earnings histories. The lower earner claims at 62 to provide household income, while the higher earner delays to 70 to maximize both their benefit and the eventual survivor benefit.

Best for: Couples where one spouse earned significantly more; couples needing some income before 70.

Strategy 2: Both Delay Until 70

If you have sufficient other income sources (pensions, savings, part-time work), both spouses delaying maximizes total benefits. Both personal benefits grow 8% annually past FRA.

Best for: Couples with ample other resources; both spouses with similar earnings; excellent health.

Strategy 3: Lower Earner Claims, Then Switches to Spousal

The lower earner claims their own reduced benefit early. When the higher earner claims, if 50% of the higher earner's PIA exceeds the lower earner's benefit, they automatically receive the higher amount.

Note: This happens automatically. You don't need to do anything. SSA pays the higher of the two amounts.

Strategy 4: Claim at FRA for Simplicity

Both spouses claim at Full Retirement Age (67 for those born 1960+). You avoid early-claiming reductions while not waiting until 70. A reasonable middle ground for those with average health and moderate resources.

The Age Gap Factor

When spouses have significant age differences, coordination becomes more complex:

Older spouse with higher earnings: The younger spouse may need to wait years before the older spouse claims. The older spouse delaying protects the younger spouse's survivor benefit for potentially decades.

Younger spouse with higher earnings: The older spouse may claim their own reduced benefit early, then switch to spousal benefits when the younger spouse claims.

Divorced Spouse Benefits

If you were married for at least 10 years and are currently unmarried, you may be eligible for benefits based on your ex-spouse's record:

• You can receive up to 50% of your ex's PIA at your FRA
• Your ex doesn't need to have claimed benefits (if divorced 2+ years)
• Your claim doesn't affect your ex's benefit or their current spouse's benefit
• If you remarry, you generally lose eligibility (exceptions for survivor benefits)

What About Same-Sex Couples?

Following the Supreme Court's 2015 ruling, all spousal and survivor benefit rules apply equally to same-sex married couples. If you were in a civil union or domestic partnership before marriage became legal, your marriage date for Social Security purposes may be earlier than your legal wedding date, consult SSA for specifics.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Ignoring survivor benefits. Many couples focus only on maximizing income while both are alive, forgetting that one spouse will likely outlive the other by years or decades.

Both claiming early. If both spouses claim at 62, you lock in reduced benefits for life, and reduce the survivor benefit permanently.

Not coordinating. Making claiming decisions independently, without considering how they affect the household, often leaves money on the table.

Overlooking the file-and-suspend elimination. Prior to 2016, "file and suspend" allowed creative strategies. These are no longer available, but some older advice still references them.

Action Steps for Couples

1. Both create My Social Security accounts at ssa.gov to see individual benefit estimates
2. Compare PIAs to understand the earnings differential
3. Use a couples calculator like Open Social Security to model scenarios
4. Consider life expectancy honestly, family history, health, lifestyle
5. Factor in other income, can you delay without financial stress?
6. Document your strategy so the surviving spouse understands the plan