If you’re married or have ever been married, it’s worth considering whether spousal Social Security benefits should be part of your retirement plan.
When a worker files for Social Security retirement benefits, their spouse may also be eligible for benefits based on the worker’s earnings. In some cases, this can provide a meaningful boost to household retirement income.
A spousal benefit can be worth up to 50% of the worker’s primary insurance amount, according to the Social Security Administration.
Eligibility depends on age and family circumstances. Generally, a spouse can claim benefits as early as age 62. A spouse can also qualify at any age if they are caring for the worker’s child, who must be under age 16 or receive Social Security disability benefits.
How Spousal and Personal Social Security Benefits Work Together
It’s important to understand how spousal and personal retirement benefits interact. If you’re eligible for a retirement benefit based on your earnings, and if that benefit is higher than the spousal benefit, the Social Security Administration will pay your retirement benefit. Otherwise, it pays the spousal benefit.
The amount you ultimately receive can also depend on when you claim benefits. For spouses who claim benefits before full retirement age, the benefits will be permanently reduced. Because of that, the timing of a claim can have lasting effects on retirement income.
[Read: What Is the Maximum Possible Social Security Benefit in 2026?]
How Much to Expect for Spousal Social Security Benefits
If you start receiving payments at full retirement age or older, your spousal benefit can be worth as much as half of your spouse’s primary insurance amount.
However, the exact amount depends on when the spouse begins claiming benefits.
For example, say you’re married and your spouse begins taking a benefit of $3,000 per month at their full retirement age. Because your benefit is 50% of your spouse’s benefit, your amount will be $1,500 if you start Social Security payments at your full retirement age.
However, if a worker claims benefits early and their spouse also claims before full retirement age, the spousal benefit will be smaller than the maximum 50%.
In 2026, the maximum Social Security retirement benefit at full retirement age is $4,152 per month, which determines the upper limit for related spousal benefits.
After the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment of 2.8%, the average Social Security benefit for a retired married couple is $3,208 per month.
For people born in 1960 or later, full retirement age is 67. As of 2026, that marks the end of the gradual phase-in created by the 1983 Social Security reforms.
Your full retirement age depends on your birth year, and you can wait to take Social Security up to age 70. Here’s how to determine your full benefit age if you were born in 1954 or later:
| Birth year | Full benefit age |
| 1954 | 66 |
| 1955 | 66 and 2 months |
| 1956 | 66 and 4 months |
| 1957 | 66 and 6 months |
| 1958 | 66 and 8 months |
| 1959 | 66 and 10 months |
| 1960 and later | 67 |
When to Claim Social Security Spousal Payments
Before deciding when to claim spousal Social Security benefits, it can help to weigh the potential advantages and trade-offs.
Conducting a cost-benefit analysis before applying for Social Security is key to understanding the guidelines that may impact your benefits, Nicole Birkett-Brunkhorst, senior vice president and senior relationship manager at Central Trust Company, said in an email.
“That includes, but is not limited to, claiming benefits before full retirement age, earnings limitations and federal and, if applicable, state income taxes,” she said.
If you start collecting spousal benefits before reaching full retirement age, your benefit will be permanently reduced. Waiting until the full retirement age allows you to receive your full spousal benefit, which is up to half the amount your spouse is eligible for.
“To claim Social Security spousal payments, the individual you are entitled to collect a spousal benefit from must also be receiving Social Security benefits,” Birkett-Brunkhorst said.
If your spouse has not yet applied for retirement benefits, she added, your initial benefit would be based on your earnings history if you earned the 40 credits to qualify for retirement benefits.
“Once your spouse files for their benefit, you can switch to the spousal benefit,” Birkett-Brunkhorst said. Your payment will ultimately be a combination of the two benefits that equals the higher amount you qualify for, she noted.
If you’re the higher earner, the spousal Social Security benefit won’t decrease the amount you receive; it’s separate from your benefit.
[Read: Should You Plan for a Retirement Without Social Security? Here’s What the Experts Say]
How to Claim a Spousal Social Security Benefit
When applying for a spousal Social Security benefit, you need to provide documentation to verify your eligibility.
“When applying for spousal Social Security benefits, it is important to gather the necessary documentation, such as marriage certificates and Social Security numbers,” Marcus Miller, certified financial planner and financial advisor at Mainstay Capital in Lakeland, Florida, said in an email.
You must provide proof of your relationship to the working spouse and meet the eligibility requirements, which include being married for at least one year, Miller said.
He advises contacting the Social Security Administration to schedule an appointment or apply online. It will review your application and determine your eligibility for spousal benefits.
Understanding the Social Security Earnings Test
If you claim Social Security before your full retirement age and continue working, your benefits could be temporarily reduced. It will depend on whether your income is greater than a certain amount.
Here are the 2026 earnings test thresholds:
| Rule type | 2026 exempt amount | Withholding rate |
| Under full retirement age all year | $24,480 ($2,040/month) | $1 for every $2 over the limit |
| Year you reach FRA | $65,160 ($5,430/month) | $1 for every $3 over the limit |
| At FRA or older | No limit | None |
Once you reach full retirement age, your benefit will be recalculated and you’ll receive a credit for the months when benefits were withheld.
How the 2026 Senior Bonus Deduction Could Affect Spousal Benefits
A key tax change for retirees in 2026 is the $6,000 “senior bonus deduction” included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The deduction allows eligible taxpayers who are 65 years and older to reduce taxable income by up to:
— $6,000 for single filers
— $12,000 for married couples filing jointly
The deduction applies to taxpayers with modified adjusted gross incomes of:
— $75,000 for individuals
— $150,000 for married couples
For married couples relying on spousal benefits, this provision could help preserve more of their retirement income by lowering their taxable income.
[Read: When You Need to Pay Taxes on Social Security]
Divorce and Social Security Spousal Benefits
If you’re divorced, you may be eligible to receive a Social Security benefit based on your former spouse’s earnings.
“There are a few points to understand before claiming a divorced spouse benefit,” Aviva Pinto, managing director of Wealthspire, said in an email.
“If you did not work or worked but earned much less than your ex and were married for at least 10 years before divorcing, have not remarried and are at least 62 years of age, you can get up to a maximum of 50% of your ex-spouse’s Social Security benefits without impacting their payments,” Pinto said.
If your ex-spouse is not yet taking Social Security benefits after you reach age 62 and you have been divorced for at least two years, you can receive benefits, Pinto added.
If your ex-spouse is taking benefits and you are already 62 years old, you can claim benefits immediately.
“If you are already receiving Social Security benefits, you can also claim your ex-spouse’s benefits, and you will receive whichever is higher,” Pinto said.
In addition, if your former spouse dies, you could get the same benefits as a surviving spouse, provided that the marriage lasted 10 years or more, according to the Social Security Administration.
More from U.S. News
What Is a Good Monthly Income in Retirement?
How to Undo Claiming Social Security Early
10 Essential Sources of Retirement Income
How to Maximize Social Security With Spousal Benefits originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 03/24/26: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
