Benefits Alert:  Many People Don’t Know They Qualify for Social Security Spousal or Survivor Benefits!

If you have been married to or were formerly married to a Social Security earner for at least ten years, you are eligible for additional Social Security benefits based on what they earn every month. If your spouse is living, you are entitled to one half of the amount of their benefit. If your spouse has died, you are entitled to the entire amount they were receiving.

If your former spouse has remarried and their current or another former spouse is receiving benefits, you are still eligible for the benefits you earned during the ten years or more of your own marriage to that person.

If you have remarried, and have been married for one year, your spousal benefits are based on your current spouse’s Social Security benefit. 

If you are divorced or widowed from more than one marriage, your benefit should be based on the highest spousal or survivor benefits you earned in any one of the marriages.

There is a lot of confusion about spousal earnings. Many articles discuss survivor benefits and ignore spousal benefits.

Part of this inattention to spousal benefits is because in recent years many individuals have earned their own Social Security benefits that are larger than their spousal or survivor benefit would be. These people would not be eligible for benefits based on their partner’s earnings.

Have a conversation about Social Security benefits with older public retirees to make sure they understand what they have earned and how to apply to the Social Security Administration to receive them. Here is a link to the Social Security Administration’s helpful page on the progress of funding the repeal. You can subscribe to get up-to-date information. https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/social-security-fairness-act.html

We are finding that many retirees are unaware that they should be getting these earned spousal or survivor benefits. Please reach out to them!