Can I collect Social Security spouse’s benefits and my own retirement benefits? (2024)

FAQs

Can I collect Social Security spouse’s benefits and my own retirement benefits? ›

If you're eligible to receive retirement benefits on your own record, we will pay that amount first. If your benefits as a spouse are higher than your own retirement benefits, you will get a combination of benefits that equal the higher spouse benefit.

You're eligible for up to 50% of a benefit based on your spouse's work record. However, you can't receive both your personal benefit and a spousal benefit.

If they qualify, your ex-spouse, spouse, or child may receive a monthly payment of up to one-half of your retirement benefit amount. These Social Security payments to family members will not decrease the amount of your retirement benefit.

In this common situation, the optimum strategy is often to have the husband begin his Social Security benefits at age 70, with the wife starting her Social Security benefits at her full retirement age, or even earlier.

Maria must file for both benefits. She can no longer file only for the spousal benefit and delay filing for her own retirement. She will receive a combination of the two benefits that equals the higher amount.

A Social Security spousal rule that has been around for decades officially ends this year for everyone except those who turned 70 on Jan. 1, 2024. The rule allows recipients to switch between their benefits and their spouse's to receive the maximum amount.

When a worker files for retirement benefits, the worker's spouse may be eligible for a benefit based on the worker's earnings. Another requirement is that the spouse must be at least age 62 or have a qualifying child in her/his care.

The first exception, which can be deemed as the Social Security spousal benefits loophole, works where an individual who remarries at 60 or later may still be entitled to Social Security survivors' benefits if the second marriage ends before the death of the first spouse.

The current spouse benefit is based on 50 percent of the PIA of the other spouse. Reduce this percent each year by 1 percentage point beginning with newly eligible spouses in 2024, until the percent reaches 33 in 2040.

If you choose to receive your spouse's benefits before you reach full retirement age, you will get a permanently reduced benefit. If you wait until you reach full retirement age to receive benefits, you'll receive your full spouse's benefit amount, which is up to one-half the amount your spouse can receive.

What is the #1 reason to take Social Security at 62? ›

1. You're Planning Your End-of-Life Care. Your Social Security benefits stop paying at your death, so if you die before collecting benefits, you'll have missed out on benefits entirely. You need to figure out how to maximize your Social Security income instead.

Have you heard about the Social Security $16,728 yearly bonus? There's really no “bonus” that retirees can collect. The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a specific formula based on your lifetime earnings to determine your benefit amount.

The maximum spousal benefit you can receive is 50% of your spouse's benefit at their full retirement age. The precise amount you'll get and when you'll get it depends on several circ*mstances, including your spouse's age and past income, your age and past income, and more.

If you qualify for your own retirement and spouse's benefits, we will always pay your own benefits first. If your benefit amount as a spouse is higher than your own retirement benefit, you will get a combination of the two benefits that equals the higher amount.

In many cases, a surviving spouse can begin receiving 1 benefit at a reduced rate and allow the other benefit amount to increase. If you will also receive a pension based on work not covered by Social Security, such as government or foreign work, your Social Security benefits as a survivor may be affected.

Social Security income can be taxable no matter how old you are. It all depends on whether your total combined income exceeds a certain level set for your filing status. You may have heard that Social Security income is not taxed after age 70; this is false.

How much will my Social Security benefits be reduced? We'll reduce your Social Security benefits by two-thirds of your government pension. In other words, if you get a monthly civil service pension of $600, two-thirds of that, or $400, must be deducted from your Social Security benefits.

Pension payments, annuities, and the interest or dividends from your savings and investments are not earnings for Social Security purposes. You may need to pay income tax, but you do not pay Social Security taxes.

Additional state pension that you inherit from your late husband; you inherit at least 50% of his additional state pension, and a higher percentage if he was born before 6th October 1945; see here.

Key Takeaways. The maximum spousal benefit is 50% of the other spouse's full benefit. You may be eligible if you're married, divorced, or widowed. You can collect spousal benefits as early as age 62, but in most cases, the benefits are permanently reduced if you start collecting before your full retirement age.