While it is possible to collect spousal Social Security benefits before your spouse retires, there are specific eligibility requirements and potential reductions to consider. Your spouse must be eligible for and have filed for their benefits, and you need to be at least 62 years old to start receiving spousal benefits.
For a spouse who is not entitled to benefits on his or her own earnings record, this reduction factor is applied to the base spousal benefit, which is 50 percent of the worker's primary insurance amount.
In addition, to be eligible for spouse's benefits, you must be one of the following: 62 years of age or older. Any age if you have a child who is younger than 16 in your care or has a disability and is entitled to benefits on your spouse's record.
4 spousal strategies to maximize Social Security The lower-earning spouse first claims their benefits and later switches to spousal benefits. Both spouses claim Social Security benefits at age 70. The higher-earning spouse waits to claim Social Security benefits.
In addition, to be eligible for spouse's benefits, you must be one of the following: 62 years of age or older. Any age if you have a child who is younger than 16 in your care or has a disability and is entitled to benefits on your spouse's record.
Spouses and ex-spouses Payments start at 71.5% of your spouse's benefit and increase the longer you wait to apply. For example, you might get: Over 75% at age 61. Over 80% at age 63.
You're eligible for some of your ex's Social Security wives and widows. That means most divorced women collect their own Social Security while the ex is alive, but can apply for higher widow's rates when he dies.
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.
To receive Social Security benefits as a surviving divorced spouse, you must meet the following requirements: You were married to your former spouse for at least 10 years You are at least 60 years old You are unmarried, unless you remarried after age 60 You have evidence of a finalized divorce.
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.