Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

cilla4progress

(25,901 posts)
Thu Jan 13, 2022, 01:49 PM Jan 2022

Spousal benefits - SSA / Retirement

A financial advisor I spoke with yesterday let me know that I can apply to receive 50% of my spouse's retirement benefit, along with my own, since his is more than mine and I'm over age 62. It will not reduce my spouse's benefit, or any future retirement benefit. I've heard of this before, but it seems to be a little known secret.

Anyone have any experience with this?

TIA

20 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Spousal benefits - SSA / Retirement (Original Post) cilla4progress Jan 2022 OP
My niece, an RN, was told she made too much money to collect her spousal benefits. Peregrine Took Jan 2022 #1
This message was self-deleted by its author wolfie001 Mar 2022 #19
She can work all she wants wolfie001 Mar 2022 #19
You can also qualify if it's an ex-spouse Pachamama Jan 2022 #2
Thank you! cilla4progress Jan 2022 #3
Just remember if you are still working nitpicker Jan 2022 #8
Yes indeed! We will be doing that. NewHendoLib Jan 2022 #4
I'm pretty sure the "along with my own" part isn't so Rorey Jan 2022 #5
When my father died my mother got his blueinredohio Jan 2022 #11
Right Rebl2 Jan 2022 #15
I just re-read your post... Pachamama Jan 2022 #6
Actually, it could be a combination nitpicker Jan 2022 #7
Thanks - cilla4progress Jan 2022 #9
My mother did this. She had worked outside the SS system as a teacher. Tomconroy Jan 2022 #10
Wonder how long the phone hold is ... cilla4progress Jan 2022 #12
At age 62 (2014) I collected my SS and part of husbands. After he died in 2021 I now collect all in2herbs Jan 2022 #13
Thank you! cilla4progress Jan 2022 #14
When I turned 66, in 2014, PoindexterOglethorpe Feb 2022 #16
Is this because his SS is more than 2x cilla4progress Feb 2022 #17
Yes. It also allowed me to postponed collecting PoindexterOglethorpe Feb 2022 #18

Peregrine Took

(7,502 posts)
1. My niece, an RN, was told she made too much money to collect her spousal benefits.
Thu Jan 13, 2022, 01:52 PM
Jan 2022

I think she was making around 75k.

Response to Peregrine Took (Reply #1)

Pachamama

(17,013 posts)
2. You can also qualify if it's an ex-spouse
Thu Jan 13, 2022, 01:53 PM
Jan 2022

As long as you haven’t remarried until 60.

It’s a good thing if 50% of your spouses or ex-spouses SS benefits exceed what your benefits would be.

nitpicker

(7,153 posts)
8. Just remember if you are still working
Thu Jan 13, 2022, 02:09 PM
Jan 2022

If you are under full retirement age for the entire year, we deduct $1 from your benefit payments for every $2 you earn above the annual limit. For 2022, that limit is $19,560.

Rorey

(8,513 posts)
5. I'm pretty sure the "along with my own" part isn't so
Thu Jan 13, 2022, 01:55 PM
Jan 2022

If half of their amount is more than your own amount, you'll get half of their amount.

I don't think I'm wrong, but I've been wrong before.

Rebl2

(14,676 posts)
15. Right
Thu Jan 13, 2022, 04:44 PM
Jan 2022

That’s how it works. No double dipping. If she made more money than him during her working life and her SS was higher she would want to keep her own.

Pachamama

(17,013 posts)
6. I just re-read your post...
Thu Jan 13, 2022, 01:55 PM
Jan 2022

You can’t get your SS benefits in addition to 50% of your spouse or ex-spouse

You can choose only one

 

Tomconroy

(7,611 posts)
10. My mother did this. She had worked outside the SS system as a teacher.
Thu Jan 13, 2022, 02:13 PM
Jan 2022

When my father died she received his full benefit. Might be worthwhile to talk to someone at SS. I think they are pretty helpful and knowledgeable. Don't take my word for it but I think you get a bigger check by delaying collecting up to the age of 66.

cilla4progress

(25,901 posts)
12. Wonder how long the phone hold is ...
Thu Jan 13, 2022, 02:59 PM
Jan 2022

when I try to apply through the website it won't let me. Likely because I already am receiving my own benefits? Requires "human" intervention....

arghhh...

in2herbs

(3,119 posts)
13. At age 62 (2014) I collected my SS and part of husbands. After he died in 2021 I now collect all
Thu Jan 13, 2022, 03:06 PM
Jan 2022

his SS earnings but none of mine. When a situation like this comes up the SSA will give you a choice of whether to continue to collect your SS or change over to the amount your (deceased) husband was earning. Collect the higher amount.

If you are discussing a pension and not SS, the amount you are to receive upon his death will be a percentage of what was being paid when he was alive. Payment is conditioned upon a number of other factors including the fact that you and H were not drawing 100% of his pension with no allocation for survivor payments (that means you.)

There is a time limit so make haste and good luck. I found the SSA to be very helpful.

cilla4progress

(25,901 posts)
14. Thank you!
Thu Jan 13, 2022, 03:30 PM
Jan 2022

Yes, just got off the phone with a friendly, knowledgeable, young (I say young because she has a 3 yo) woman - SSA employee - from the other side of the country, who informed me that my current monthly benefit is more than 50% of husband's, so I don't qualify to receive the spousal benefit.

Should he predecease me, I can apply to receive his benefit, which is higher - just not twice mine - instead of mine.

Thank you!

PS Glad SSA employees get to work from home! Enjoyed my friendly convo with her!

PoindexterOglethorpe

(26,727 posts)
16. When I turned 66, in 2014,
Wed Feb 2, 2022, 12:04 AM
Feb 2022

I was able to collect 50% of what would be my ex's full benefit were he 66. As it happened, he was just turned 62, but we'd been married more than 10 years, now divorced more than two, and our respective ages met the requirement. Hooray! I collected SS off his account until I turned 70, at which point my own full benefit was several hundred dollars more.

My ex, who will turn 69 later this year, still is not collecting SS on his own. Which is good, from my perspective. It will benefit me the most if he waits until he turns 70, then dies. I will then become one of his two widows, and collect 100% of his SS. Which will again be several hundred dollars more than my current benefit. Alas, his family lives practically forever, well into their 90s. He's some five years younger than I am, and so I'm not likely to outlive him. Darn.

PoindexterOglethorpe

(26,727 posts)
18. Yes. It also allowed me to postponed collecting
Wed Feb 2, 2022, 12:35 AM
Feb 2022

my own SS until I turned 70, which maximized my own benefit. I believe that option is no longer available.

I depended heavily on the book Get What's Yours by Laurence Kotlikoff, Philip Moeller, and Paul Solman. It outlines all of the basics of SS and then some. It was how I learned I could claim on my ex husband's SS and delay my own claim until I was 70.

Alas, some of those rules have changed.

I think the single best thing of that book is how they emphasize that it's important to maximize, insofar as you can, your payout. So many people get focused on collecting as soon as they possibly can, and never think about the fact that they will probably live a whole lot longer than they think they will. For example, most 65 year old men will live nearly another 18 years, and a 65 year old women will live another 20 and a half years. That's a lot longer than people tend to think. For one thing, they look at life expectancies from the year they were born, and don't understand that those numbers include infant and child mortality, and once you get past any given age, be it one year, five years, sixty years, or more, you will continue to live a whole lot longer.

I keep on seeing various things on line that encourage people to collect SS as soon as possible. For some people, that's a good strategy. For others, not so much.

My specific case is this: I'd been out of the workforce some 25 years while raising children. My SS payout was going to be quite small. Then I got divorced, moved to another part of the country, and re-entered the workforce. I made decent money, but the important thing is that I added about six more years of employment to my record, wiping out that number of zero income years. My predicted SS payout doubled by doing that.

Keep in mind that your SS amount is based on your 35 highest years of earnings. So working as long as you can benefits you. And again, for me, getting back into the workforce for several years made a huge difference.

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Social Security & Medicare»Spousal benefits - SSA / ...