What Are Social Security Spousal Benefits?

Married couple Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash

Leveraging more than two decades of experience in the finance industry, Darcy Bergen advises the public on how to make sound financial decisions through his educational workshops. Darcy Bergen specializes in strategies that maximize income while reducing tax burdens, including social security planning and collection strategies for individuals and couples.

Married couples and unmarried ex-spouses who were together for at least 10 years can qualify for Social Security spousal benefits. Spousal benefits are equivalent to half of the spouse’s benefit as of full retirement age.

After one partner turns 62, a qualifying ex-spouse can file for benefits. Currently, married couples must wait until one partner files for their own Social Security benefit before being eligible to receive spousal benefits.

While the recipient of the spousal benefit will have a lower total amount of Social Security paid out, filing for a spousal benefit doesn’t impact the amount of Social Security the retired spouse receives. However, waiting until 70 to collect Social Security can boost spousal death benefits by 32 percent.