Spousal Social Security Benefits: 4 Things Retirees Need to Know in 2026

Social Security spousal benefits are a common source of confusion among retired workers. Nationwide Retirement Institute's 2025 Social Security Survey revealed the following:

• Of adults, 30% incorrectly marked this statement as false: Social Security may offer benefits for your spouse.
• Of adults, 50% incorrectly marked this statement as false: If you are divorced, you may be eligible for Social Security benefits based on your ex-spouse's record.

Those knowledge gaps could lead to costly financial mistakes. Here are four things retired couples need to know about Social Security spousal benefits in 2026.

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1. Spouses can claim Social Security on their partner's work record

Social Security retirement benefits are available to retired workers and spouses, even when the spouse has no work history. Spouses can claim benefits based on the earnings record of their retired partner under these conditions:

• The couple must have been married for at least one year.
• The spouse must be at least 62 years of age.
• The partner must be receiving retirement benefits.

In some cases, spouses will be entitled to retired-worker benefits based on their own earnings record and spousal benefits based on the earnings record of their retired partner. In that case, the higher benefit will be awarded automatically.

2. Spouses can maximize their benefit by claiming at full retirement age

How much Social Security income spouses receive depends on their claim age and the primary insurance amount (PIA) of their retired partner. PIA refers to the benefit a retired worker will get if they start Social Security at full retirement age (FRA), which is age 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later.

At most, spousal benefits equal 50% of the retired worker's PIA. To get that maximum payout, the spouse must delay Social Security until FRA. Spouses who claim before their FRA will get a smaller payout (less than 50% of the retired worker's PIA). The exact reduction depends on how many months early the benefits begin, but it would be most severe at the age 62, the earliest possible claim age.

The chart below shows the spousal benefit (as a percentage of the retired worker's PIA) for anyone born in 1960 or later.

Data source: The Social Security Administration. Note: The percentages shown above represent spousal benefits as a portion of the partner's PIA.

Importantly, whereas retired workers earn delayed retirement credits that increase their benefit when they claim Social Security later than FRA, spouses do not earn delayed retirement credits. That means retired-worker benefits are maximized at age 70, but spousal benefits are maximized at full retirement age.

3. Divorced spouses can collect Social Security benefits on their ex-partner's work record

Divorced spouses can still collect Social Security benefits based on the work record of their ex-partner, provided the following conditions are satisfied:

• The divorced spouse is at least 62 years old.
• The marriage lasted at least 10 years.
• The divorced spouse has not remarried.
• The spouse has been divorced for at least two years.

There are three points of potential confusion: First, while spouses usually cannot collect benefits on their partner's earnings record unless that partner is also receiving retirement benefits, that rule does not apply to divorced spouses. Second, divorced spouses can still collect benefits on their ex-partner's earnings record even if that ex-partner remarries. Only the spouse's marital status impacts eligibility for spousal benefits.

Third, some divorced spouses worry that claiming Social Security on their ex-partner's record will impact that person's benefit. Others worry their ex-partner will be notified if they file for spousal benefits. Neither is true. The ex-partner's payout does not change, nor will they be notified if their former spouse claims Social Security on their earnings record.

4. Spouses cannot collect a spousal benefit while delaying their own retired-worker benefit

As mentioned, some spouses will be entitled to retired-worker benefits on their personal earnings record, and they will be eligible for spousal benefits on their retired partner's work record. In that scenario, the spouse cannot delay their retired-worker benefit to earn delayed retirement credits while collecting the spousal benefit in the meantime.

Instead, when a spouse applies for Social Security, the application automatically covers retired-worker benefits and spousal benefits. The spouse will receive the larger payout. But that rule applies only to retirement benefits (i.e., retired-worker benefits and spousal benefits). It does not apply to survivors benefits. A widow or widower could collect survivors benefits while delaying their retired-worker benefit to earn delayed retirement credits.

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