Ready For Retirement
Ready For Retirement
How to Maximize Social Security Spousal Benefits (Even if you Collect Your Benefit Early)
A single misunderstanding about Social Security spousal benefits can cost couples thousands over retirement. This episode unpacks the real math behind how Social Security treats spouses, ex-spouses, and survivors, so you can make smart claiming decisions that protect both cash flow and long-term security.
Listen to learn how the spousal benefit actually works: it’s based on 50% of the primary earner’s full retirement age benefit, not when they file. We walk through clear examples showing who qualifies, how marriage length and divorce rules apply, and when a lower earner can switch from their own benefit to a larger spousal amount.
James also separates spousal from survivor benefits—because they’re not the same thing. Survivor checks can reach up to 100% of what the deceased earned, which makes timing even more critical for the higher earner. You’ll hear how early filing, delayed credits, and coordination with 401(k) withdrawals or Roth conversions all play into your bigger retirement income plan.
The goal: help couples see Social Security not as a guessing game, but as one of the most flexible (and misunderstood) tools for creating reliable income.
If you’re planning around two benefit records, a stay-at-home spouse, or a late-career divorce, this episode will clarify your options and help you avoid the traps that quietly shrink your lifetime income.
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Advisory services are offered through Root Financial Partners, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Viewing this content does not create an advisory relationship. We do not provide tax preparation or legal services. Always consult an investment, tax or legal professional regarding your specific situation.
The strategies, case studies, and examples discussed may not be suitable for everyone. They are hypothetical and for illustrative and educational purposes only. They do not reflect actual client results and are not guarantees of future performance. All investments involve risk, including the potential loss of principal.
Comments reflect the views of individual users and do not necessarily represent the views of Root Financial. They are not verified, may not be accurate, and should not be considered testimonials or endorsements
Participation in the Retirement Planning Academy or Early Retirement Academy does not create an advisory relationship with Root Financial. These programs are educational in nature and are not a substitute for personalized financial advice. Advisory services are offered only under a written agreement with Root Financial.
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A couple of years back, I was talking to a prospective client, and this prospective client was coming to me with some retirement projections, showing me how he thought he and his wife were in a position to retire. What he said though didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense. So I dug into his projections, and what I quickly realized was that his numbers were so off because he was failing to correctly account for Social Security spousal benefits. Social Security by itself is relatively straightforward to calculate, but how does a spousal benefit work? That's the topic of today's episode, because if you don't get this number right, you might dramatically over-project or under-project how well you might be funded for your own retirement. A big part of this question comes from a listener. A listener asked this. He said, I'm 52 years old and my wife is 50. We are planning our retirement strategy, which will consist of a combination of employer 401k, Roth IRA, investments, and social security, but I need some guidance to determine the optimal age for my wife and I to begin drawing from Social Security. My wife is a stay-at-home mother, so will not be eligible for her own individual benefit and will be planning to take the spousal benefit. My primary insurance amount at age 67 is$3,654, but I was planning to begin collecting Social Security at 62 to reduce the draw from my retirement account. So my reduced benefit at 62 would be$2,540. For the spousal benefit, I understand that my wife's maximum benefit is 50% of my full retirement benefit. However, if I retire prior to my full retirement age and my wife waits until her full retirement age is 67, would she still be eligible for my 50% of full retirement age benefit, or would she be limited to 50% of my reduced benefit? So this question comes from a listener named Rob. Rob, thank you for that question. I am going to answer it directly, but then I'm going to give you a more full context to see how does this decision impact you and what are the other important things to know? So the short answer is no. It does not depend upon when you collect your social security benefit. If your full retirement age is 67 and you collect at 62, your spouse, Rob's wife, is still eligible to collect a full spousal benefit, equal to half of his benefit at Rob's full retirement age. So this is the good news for all of you watching. If you are collecting your benefit early, your normal benefit early, your spouse can still collect their full spousal benefit, which is equal to 50% of your benefit at your full retirement age at that point, at the point that they turn their full retirement age. Sorry for the word salad there. On the flip side, let's assume that you defer your own benefit until age 70. So if your full retirement age is 67, you wait three years for delayed retirement credits to kick in, your benefit increases, your spousal benefit or your spouse's spousal benefit does not also increase with that. It is still anchored to that primary insurance amount, which is the amount that you are eligible at your full retirement age, they are eligible for half of that. So that's the short answer. That's the direct answer. Now let's look at a little bit more context here. So for those of you going into this, have the full picture so that you can base your decision on the right information. The first thing that you need to understand is whether you want to collect your own benefit or whether you want to collect a spousal benefit. So here's the thing: in order to be eligible for any benefit, you must have completed 40 quarters of work over the duration of your working lifetime. For 2025, one quarter of work equals$1,810. So it's not actually a time thing. You don't actually have to work for three months, but if you earn$1,810, that counts as one quarter of work. If you earn in this year over$7,240, that counts as four quarters of work. It doesn't matter how many months of the year you actually worked, paying into Social Security that amount qualifies you for four quarters. Now you cannot earn any more than four quarters in any calendar year. So if you earn five times that amount, it doesn't mean that you get five times four quarters. You're capped at four for the year. But anyways, over the course of your working lifetime, if you accumulate more than 40 quarters, if you have paid into Social Security, 40 quarters or more, you're eligible for a Social Security benefit. Eligible does not mean you've maxed it out. To max it out, you need to pay in a whole lot more than that, but you are now eligible. So when it comes to your retirement years, how does this play into account? For the most part, at least one spouse has at least that amount of earnings before they retire. It's going to be very difficult to retire if at least one of you does not have that amount. However, what about when one spouse did not work? What about when one spouse stayed home and raised the kids? What about when one spouse was self-employed and they didn't really have much in earnings to pay into Social Security? That's where the concept of a spousal benefit comes in. So you can look at your own earnings record and say, did I even qualify for a benefit? And if so, how much? Versus how much did my spouse earn and what benefit are they eligible for at their full retirement age? So that's the decision point. Now, in order to be eligible for a spousal benefit, you must have been married for at least one year. So if you just got married yesterday, you're watching this video on your honeymoon, number one, probably go do something more fun. But if that's you, you're not yet eligible for a spousal benefit. To be eligible for a spousal benefit, you must have been married for at least one year. So come back to this video in 364 days and you can see this is what you'd be eligible for, but it's not until you've been married for at least one year. Now, for those of you that have been married and divorced, if you are married for at least 10 years, you are still eligible for spousal benefit. So let's say you're married between the ages of 25 and 35, but you've been single ever since. Well, you're turning 65, 66, 67. You are still eligible for a spousal benefit based on your ex-spouse's earnings record, even if you haven't talked to this individual in 30 plus years. It's not that you're currently married that qualifies you. It's if you've been married for at least one year to your current spouse, or if you were previously married for at least 10 years, you are now eligible for a spousal benefit based on that spouse's earnings record. Now there are some details here where if you get remarried after a certain age, it can actually impact your spousal benefit. So be careful of that, be mindful of that. But these are the general rules. And now finally, in addition to spousal benefits, there's also survivor benefits. So survivor benefits are different. Survivor benefits are what you are eligible for if your spouse passes away. Or similar to the last example, if your ex-spouse that you were married to for at least 10 years has passed away. So the survivor benefit is different than the spousal benefit, and that a spousal benefit is limited to 50% of what your spouse's full retirement age benefit is, what their primary insurance amount is. A survivor benefit could be 100% of what your spouse was collecting or was eligible to collect prior to passing away. So both of these very much come into play when designing the optimal retirement strategy, because if you understand how this works, you can really maximize your benefits, not just to your favor in terms of maximizing income, but also use this information to protect a surviving spouse to make sure their benefit or their income is maximized well after you're gone. Now I want to go through a couple of examples that tie back to the original listener question so I can quantify and show you what this actually looks like. Let's assume that if I retire, my primary insurance amount is$2,000 per month. So I retire and I turn$70, I can collect$2,000 per month, which means let's assume that my wife stayed at home and raised our children and she doesn't have any social security earnings record. She could either choose to collect zero, not good, or she could collect half of my benefit. And if my benefit is$2,000, she would then get$1,000. Now let's assume that I turn$67. And you know what, I've watched a whole bunch of YouTube videos. I know that if I keep waiting, if I keep deferring, my benefit will go up each year until the age of 70. In fact, if I wait till 70, my benefit will be closer to$2,500. Not exactly, but rounding here to use some simple numbers. So at$2,500, does that mean that my wife is now eligible for half of that?$1,250? The answer is no. She would still be capped at that$1,000 benefit eligibility because that was my benefit at my full retirement age. That's considered my primary insurance amount. So if I'm waiting, I can increase my benefit via delayed retirement credits, but spousal benefits are not eligible for those delayed retirement credits. Now let's give one more example to reiterate what I stated before. If I can collect my benefit at 67 of 2000 and I decide to collect early, my benefit might be reduced to, let's say,$1,500. That does not mean that my wife's benefit is automatically reduced to half of$1,500, which would be$750. Her benefit, assuming she still waits until her full retirement age, she is still eligible for that full$1,000, which is the good news. So her spousal benefit is not determined based upon when I collect my benefit. It is determined based upon what my benefit is at my full retirement age. But outside of that, it's her decision of when she collects that actually determines how much more or less than that she will receive. Now, two very important follow-ups to this. Number one, in order for my wife to be eligible to collect her spousal benefit, I must be collecting my benefit. So if I go back to that example, if I turn 67, I could collect 2,000 per month. But I say, you know what, if I wait till 70, that can go closer to$2,500 per month. I'm gonna do that. Well, each year that I delay, well, my wife's not actually eligible to collect her benefit until I have begun collecting mine. So let's assume we're the exact same age. We both turn 67. She wants to collect her$1,000 of spousal benefit. I want to continue accepting delayed retirement credits to get all the way up to$2,500. I can do so, but she's not eligible to collect that$1,000 per month until I have collected. So by me waiting, that might be the right call, but keep in mind that could impact your spouse. And that's where some good planning comes in. Does it make sense to delay or does it make sense to collect early? Because now both of you can collect those benefits. Now, another detail that seems pretty nuanced and almost irrelevant, but actually matters is this. We know the max spousal social security benefit is limited to 50% of the primary earner's full retirement age amount. So going back to me, my wife's maximum spousal benefit will be limited to 50% of what I am eligible for at my full retirement age. But technically, what she is collecting at that point is her own benefit plus any excess spousal. And the combined amounts there are capped at half of my benefit amount. That sounds incredibly confusing. Let me use an example to explain how that works. Let's assume that my wife, who is staying at home and she is raising our children, let's assume she goes back to work after that and she worked prior to raising our children. Well, she might have a social security benefit. She qualified by paying in the 40 quarters, but it might not be an incredibly high amount. Let's assume it's$600 in this example. So she could collect, based on her own earnings record,$600. Now, if at age 67 we both began collecting, I start collecting$2,000, she collects her$600, but she's eligible for a spousal benefit of$1,000. Really, what that means is$600 of her own benefit plus an excess spousal benefit of$400 that gets her to$1,000 total. Why does that matter? That doesn't seem like who cares if it's her benefit, if it's excess spousal, it's still limited to that$1,000. Well, it matters for this reason. I mentioned before, if we both turn 67 and she wants to collect, but I decide to defer until 70, well, she's out of luck. She can't collect a spousal benefit until I have collected mine. But here's the thing she could collect her benefit of$600 per month in this example, all while I continue to delay until age 70. Then once I turn 70, I turn on my benefit of$2,500 per month at that point, she is eligible for the excess spousal at that point. That tops her off another$400 per month, which brings her to$1,000 total. So this seems like nitpicking, this seems like splitting hairs here, but that's the reality. That's three additional years of an extra$600 per month that she wouldn't have otherwise received if she didn't understand how the actual spousal benefit is a combination of her own earnings record plus excess spousal, the combination of the two being capped at 50% of what I'm eligible for at my full retirement age. All right, one final detail here around spousal benefits before we wrap up with a summary of everything you need to know to make the most of these benefits in your own plan. With spousal benefits, to maximize them, you need to wait until your full retirement age. So I'm going to go back to me as an example. If my wife wants to maximize her spousal benefit based on my earnings record, she would need to wait until age 67 to do so. However, she is eligible to collect earlier than then. But in the same way that if she were to collect her own benefits early, those benefits are reduced. The same thing applies with spousal benefits. Yes, the max is age 67 or full retirement age, and it can't go higher than that. Unlike your normal benefit that's eligible for delayed retirement credits, spousal benefits are not. So the max is 67 or full retirement age, but it's declined or it's reduced by the same exact amount that your regular benefit would be if you collect early. The way that works is for the first three years leading up to your full retirement age. So in this example, between age 64 to age 67, your benefit is reduced by 8.3% per year for those three years. That actually breaks down into a monthly number. Social Security calculates that amount monthly, not yearly, but that's the total amount over the course of the year. For ages 64 to 62, so any amounts longer than three years prior to your full retirement age, there's a 5% annual reduction. Once again, that's calculated monthly. So 512ths of 1% is the reduction that you would get any months prior to 64 that you collect early. Same thing applies to spousal benefits as it does to your normal benefit that you'd be eligible for based on your earnings record. So here's the takeaways that I want to leave you with. And I'm also going to leave you with a video that actually shows you how this information tie into your overall plan. So you're not just maximizing social security in a vacuum, you're maximizing it in the context of everything else. Number one, determine if your spousal benefits are even the best option. Going way back to the listener question, he is 52, his wife's 50. Does a spousal benefit make sense? Or given that she has a decade and a half until she's eligible for her full amount, does she go back to work at all? Does she increase her earnings record? That's largely going to be driven by how much of an earnings record she already have. And is it worthwhile to go back and increase that a bit? Or does it make more sense just to collect the spousal benefit? But understand how both work spousal and your normal benefit to see which one makes most sense for you. Number two, your spouse can maximize their spousal benefit simply by waiting until their full retirement age. It does not matter if you collect at age 70 or 62 or anywhere in between. Their decision is the only thing that's going to impact the amount of spousal benefit they collect, the timing of that. If they collect at 67 or their full retirement age, they get the full amount. If they collect sooner, they get a reduced amount. Number three, understand that the spousal benefit is actually the combined amount between one's own earnings record and excess spousal benefits. The combination of those two is capped at 50% of the primary worker's primary insurance amount, but it's the combination of those two things that adds up to that. Seems like it's splitting hairs, but as we saw, this can actually lead to thousands of extra dollars that you receive if you know how this impacts you. And then finally, number four, maximizing social security income is far different than maximizing the impact of Social Security on your overall plan. When you start to actually understand the way Social Security is taxed, how collecting early impacts your portfolio withdrawals or the lack of portfolio withdrawals, understanding how this all fits together is actually where the magic happens. So I walked through a video right here. You can see a link to it where I illustrate the impact of pulling Social Security early later, and what impact does that have on your overall retirement plan.
