Here at the AMAC Foundation’s Social Security Advisory Service, we get thousands of Social Security and Medicare enrollment questions each year, either to our national call center (1-800-750-2622) or via email to SSadvisor@amacfoundation.org. We answer all questions promptly and without charge and we enjoy an extremely high customer satisfaction rating.

A large percentage of the questions we receive are about spouse benefits – that is, benefits available to a spouse who may, or may not, be eligible also for their own Social Security retirement benefits. Reality is that spousal benefit eligibility is a complicated topic which so many who call us seek answers about. Typically, we’re asked questions like::

• Am I eligible for spouse benefits?
• When am I eligible to claim my spouse benefit?
• How much will my spouse benefit be?
• What is the best age to claim spouse benefits?
• Can I claim my spouse benefit now and my own retirement benefit later?
• Etc.

A Prevalent Misunderstanding

Of course, we answer all spouse benefit questions promptly (as we do all other Social Security questions asked). But there is one thing that is apparently a prevalent misunderstanding about Social Security spousal benefits – and that is, that Social Security spouse benefits and retirement benefits are mutually exclusive benefits. Many beneficiaries believe you get either your own SS retirement amount or a spousal benefit amount – but that is not how SS spouse benefits work in most cases.

Dual Entitlement of Benefits

If someone is eligible for their own SS retirement benefit, their personal SS retirement benefit amount is always paid first. If they are entitled to a higher monthly amount as a spouse or surviving spouse, then a supplemental amount (a “spousal boost”) is paid on top of their SS retirement amount. In Social Security parlance, this is known as “dual entitlement,” meaning that the person is dually entitled to two benefit types. In dual entitlement situations, the persons personally earned SS retirement benefit is always paid first, and a supplement is then added to make their payment equal to the higher amount they are entitled to from the other type of benefit (e.., the spouse benefit). So, how much is the supplemental amount? 

How Spousal Benefits are determined & paid

To understand the supplemental amount for dual entitlement cases, it’s important to know how Social Security spouse benefits are determined. The full retirement age (FRA) amounts for both marital partners are compared and, if one spouse’s FRA entitlement is less than 50% of the other spouse’s personally earned FRA entitlement, then the difference will be the basis of a “spousal boost” (supplement} to the lower benefit amount. This formula is used regardless of the age at which benefits are claimed, but if benefits are claimed before the spouse’s full retirement age, the spousal boost (the supplemental amount”) will be actuarially reduced for early claiming. For this reason, a spouse will only get half of their marital partner’s FRA benefit if the spouse benefit is claimed at the spouse’s full retirement age. If claimed before FRA, the amount of the supplemental spousal boost will be reduced, yielding a monthly payment less than 50% of their partner’s FRA amount.

What about Surviving Spouse Benefits?

The two most common examples of “dual entitlement” are for “spousal benefits” (benefits available to a spouse while both marital partners are living), and for “surviving spouse benefits” (benefits a surviving spouse is entitled to from a deceased marital partner). The difference in the latter case is that a surviving spouse’s supplemental amount as a widow(er) is determined by the amount the deceased partner was actually receiving at death, instead of half of the deceased partner’s FRA entitlement as is used to compute regular spouse benefits while both were living. Said another way, a surviving spouse will continue to be paid their personally earned SS retirement amount, supplemented by an additional amount to make their monthly payment equal to the amount they are entitled to as a surviving spouse. And it should go without saying that if the surviving spouse’s personal SS retirement benefit is more than the deceased partner was receiving at death, no additional monthly benefit is given to the survivor.[1]

Thus, the process for a dually entitled surviving spouse is somewhat different from regular spousal benefits because the formula now uses the deceased partner’s actual Social Security benefit at death to compute the supplemental amount due.

SS Retirement Benefits as always paid first

To reiterate, the spouse’s personally earned Social Security retirement benefit will always be paid first, supplemented by an additional amount to make the spouse, or the surviving spouse, monthly payment equal the amount due as a spouse or surviving spouse. These amounts will always be paid as a single monthly payment, comprised of two elements.

What if a spouse has no personal SS retirement benefit?

Note that this “dual entitlement” rule does not apply to spouses who have no personally earned Social Security retirement benefits. In those cases, the formula for spouse (and surviving spouse) benefits is considerably simplified.  A spouse who is not entitled to their own Social Security retirement benefit (from their own lifetime work record) is entitled to up to 50% of their marital partner’s FRA benefit entitlement while both are living, or up to 100% of the SS amount at their deceased partner was receiving at death. But in both cases, the monthly payment amount will be reduced if claimed early (e.g., before full retirement age). Spouse and surviving spouse benefits always reach maximum at the spouse’s full retirement age.

Where to get help

Social Security is a complex topic. If you’re unsure about how these basics apply to you, or if you have any questions about your individual situation under Social Security or enrollment in Medicare, note that the AMAC Foundation provides a free-to-the-public advisory service to help Americans navigate the complexities of these programs. All questions are answered quickly, at no charge.  Learn more about it here…

This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (amacfoundation.org/programs/social-security-advisory) or email us at ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org. Because we are a non-profit organization, our services are free.

[1] The surviving spouse would, however, be entitled to a one-time lump sum SS death benefit of $255.