The Spousal Benefit: Up to 50% of Your Partner's PIA
A spouse who either didn't work or earned significantly less than their partner may be entitled to a spousal benefit based on the other spouse's work record. The maximum spousal benefit is 50% of the higher earner's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) — the benefit they would receive if they claimed at their full retirement age (FRA).
To receive the full 50% spousal benefit, the claiming spouse must also wait until their own FRA (66-67, depending on birth year). Claiming the spousal benefit before FRA permanently reduces it. Claiming at 62 — the earliest possible age — reduces the spousal benefit to approximately 32.5% of the higher earner's PIA.
Unlike personal retirement benefits, spousal benefits do not increase by waiting past your FRA. Delaying past FRA earns delayed retirement credits (8% per year up to age 70) only on your own benefit — not on a spousal benefit. So if you are entitled only to a spousal benefit and no personal benefit, there is no advantage to waiting past your FRA to claim.
Important: the higher-earning spouse must have filed for their own benefit before you can collect a spousal benefit. (The old "file and suspend" strategy that allowed delaying while the spouse collected was eliminated in 2016.)
Survivor Benefits: 100% of the Deceased Spouse's Benefit
The survivor benefit is one of the most significant — and most misunderstood — components of Social Security for married couples. When one spouse dies, the surviving spouse is entitled to receive the higher of their own benefit or 100% of the deceased spouse's benefit.
This creates a powerful incentive for the higher-earning spouse to delay claiming as long as possible — up to age 70. Every year they delay past FRA adds 8% to their benefit through delayed retirement credits. Because that higher benefit passes to the survivor, maximizing the higher earner's benefit is effectively "insuring" the surviving spouse's income for potentially decades.
Consider: a couple where the higher earner has a $3,000/month benefit at FRA. By delaying to 70, that benefit grows to approximately $3,720/month. If the higher earner dies first, the survivor receives $3,720 instead of $3,000 — a 24% increase in the benefit they'll likely collect for many years.
Divorced Spouse Benefits
If you were married for at least 10 years and have not remarried, you may be entitled to a divorced spouse benefit equal to up to 50% of your ex-spouse's PIA — even if your ex has remarried. Your ex-spouse does not need to have filed for benefits for you to claim a divorced spouse benefit (as long as you have been divorced for at least two years and your ex is at least 62).
The divorced spouse benefit does not affect your ex-spouse's benefit or their current spouse's benefit in any way. Social Security pays each eligible person's benefit independently. If you are entitled to both your own retirement benefit and a divorced spouse benefit, Social Security pays the higher of the two.
Optimal Claiming Strategy for Couples
For most couples, the optimal strategy follows this framework:
- Lower earner claims early (62-65): The lower earner's benefit is smaller, and the survivor is unlikely to inherit it. Getting payments flowing early helps bridge income while the higher earner waits.
- Higher earner delays to 70: Maximizes the permanent benefit level — both for their own retirement years and for the survivor benefit that protects the remaining spouse.
- Spousal benefit check: Once the higher earner files, verify whether the lower earner's own benefit or 50% spousal benefit is larger. Social Security will automatically pay the higher amount.
This strategy can add $100,000 to $200,000 in lifetime household Social Security income compared to both spouses claiming at 62 — particularly when one spouse has a long life expectancy. The break-even age for delaying to 70 vs. claiming at 67 is typically around age 82-83 — an age that many retirees today will surpass.
What Happened to File-and-Suspend?
Prior to the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, a strategy called "file and suspend" allowed a higher-earning spouse to file for benefits and immediately suspend them, enabling the other spouse to collect spousal benefits while the higher earner's own benefit continued growing. This strategy was eliminated effective April 2016. Today, a suspended benefit cannot be collected by anyone else — including a spouse — while it is in suspension. Plan your strategy under current rules.