I think I get more questions about benefits for spouses than I do about any other kind of Social Security benefit. And even though I’m using the gender-neutral term “spouses,” these questions almost always come from women wondering what benefits they might be due on their husband’s—or ex-husband’s—Social Security record. Or they come from men asking about the benefits their wives or ex-wives might be due on their record. Women tend to qualify for benefits on a husband’s record because, in most instances, their own Social Security benefit is less than their husband’s benefit. Why? Primarily because women spend more time out of the workforce—usually because they take time off work to have and raise children.
Of course, there are some family situations where the wife makes more money than the husband and she ends up with a higher Social Security benefit. So her husband might be due spousal benefits on her record. Still, statistics show that 95 percent of spousal benefits go to women, so I’m addressing them today.
Oh, and before I go on, I must cover this issue. Every time I write a column about benefits that wives and widows might be due from Social Security, I get angry letters from single women who have never been married asking me why I never write columns explaining what they are due from the system. I always have to explain to them that I write such columns all the time. If they are working and paying into Social Security, then they are potentially due the same kind of retirement or disability benefit that any other taxpayer might be due. I’ve written thousands of columns explaining these benefits. In other words, from a Social Security perspective, there is nothing special about being a single woman, or a single man for that matter. They just get regular Social Security benefits. So now, back to questions about benefits for wives and widows.
Q: My husband is 67 and starting to receive his Social Security benefits. I am 62. Other than a few years after high school when I had some part-time jobs, I have spent my entire adult life as a wife or homemaker, so I have no Social Security of my own. A neighbor told me that after my husband dies, I will never be able to get widow’s benefits because I don’t have my own Social Security account. Is this true?
A: It’s absolutely false. As I always tell my readers, never listen to friends or neighbors offering Social Security advice. It’s almost always wrong.
In fact, not only will you be due widow’s benefits when your husband dies, but you are also due dependent wife’s benefits on his record right now. So call Social Security at 800-772-1213 and file a spousal claim right away.
Q: I am turning 62. My husband is 68 and getting Social Security. Can I claim reduced spousal benefits now on his record and then at age 67 switch to full benefits on my own record?
A: No, you can’t do that. You must file for your own benefits first. After you do that, they will look at your husband’s record to see if you can get any extra spousal benefits from him.
Q: My wife took her own Social Security at 62. I am about to reach my full retirement age and plan to start my own Social Security. My wife is now 67. Her own benefit is very small, much less than mine will be. How can I figure out if my wife is due any spousal benefits on my record?
A: The formula is pretty simple. They will take your wife’s full retirement age rate (even though she took benefits at 62) and subtract that from one-half of your FRA rate. Any difference will be added to her reduced retirement benefit rate.
Q: I am waiting until age 70 to claim my Social Security. I am doing that to get the bonus added to my retirement rate for delaying starting my benefits until 70. But I was also doing that so that my wife will get my augmented benefits after I die. (Her own benefit is about $1,000 less than mine.) So, imagine my shock when a Social Security rep recently told me that after I die, my wife’s widow’s benefit will be based on my full retirement age rate, not my age 70 rate. Is this right?
A: No, it’s not right. And for some reason (lack of training?), Social Security Administration reps frequently get this wrong. While you are alive, any spousal benefits she might be due are based on your full retirement age benefit. But after you die, her widow’s benefits are based on your augmented age 70 rate, including the bonus you got for waiting that long to claim your benefits.
Q: I am 63 and have been a wife and homemaker all my life. So I get a small percentage of my husband’s Social Security. But I’ve always wondered this: Why don’t women in my position get Social Security credits for the work we did as homemakers and child-care providers?
A: As I explained in a column not too long ago, this is a topic that has been debated for years. But the issue always comes down to this: Where would the money or earnings come from to put on your Social Security record? The only viable solution policy planners have ever come up with is a concept known as “earnings sharing.” In a nutshell, that means a working husband and stay-at-home mom would split the earnings the husband makes. For example, if Husband Henry makes $100,000 per year, $50,000 would go on his Social Security record and $50,000 would go on Wife Wilma’s Social Security record. Now, that might make Wife Wilma happy that she’s being “paid” for Social Security purposes with earnings and credits going on her account. But just ask Husband Henry how thrilled he is that he only gets Social Security credit for half the money he makes—and eventually ends up with a much smaller Social Security benefit!
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