Claiming Spousal Social Security Benefits in 2026? 3 Things You Must Know.

Many retirees earn Social Security benefits by working and paying into the system. But if you have a limited work history, you may not have enough lifetime wages to qualify for Social Security on your own.

That doesn't mean you can't collect benefits in retirement, though. If you're married, you may be eligible for spousal Social Security benefits. And the same actually could hold true if you're divorced.

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But spousal benefits work differently from regular Social Security benefits. It's important to understand the differences and make sure you know the rules. Here's what you must know if you're planning to claim spousal Social Security benefits this year.

1. You can't file for benefits until your spouse does if you're married

If you're divorced, you don't have to wait for your ex-spouse to file for Social Security to claim spousal benefits. But if you're still married, the rules are different.

In that case, you typically do have to wait for your spouse to claim Social Security for you to be able to start collecting spousal benefits. For this reason, it's important to understand your spouse's filing strategy.

2. You need to wait for your full retirement age to avoid reduced benefits

The maximum spousal benefit you can get from Social Security is 50% of your spouse's primary insurance amount. So if that amount is $3,000, your maximum spousal benefit is $1,500 a month.

But to get your spousal benefit without a reduction, you'll need to wait for your full retirement age to file for benefits. Full retirement age is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. If you claim spousal Social Security benefits before reaching full retirement age, you'll reduce those monthly payments for life.

3. There's no sense in delaying your spousal benefit claim past full retirement age

When you're claiming Social Security based on your own earnings record, there's a big incentive for delaying your filing past full retirement age. Each year you wait, until you turn 70, boosts your monthly checks by 8% for life.

But those delayed retirement credits do not apply to spousal Social Security benefits. The maximum spousal benefit you can collect is 50% of your spouse's primary insurance amount.

For this reason, you should not plan to delay your spousal benefit claim past your own full retirement age. You won't get any more money out of it. All you'll do is force yourself to wait longer on monthly checks you're entitled to.

Social Security itself is a complex program. And the rules of spousal benefits can be even more complicated. So before you rush to claim those benefits, make sure you truly understand the ins and outs.

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