Does Being Married Affect Social Security Benefits?

Social Security benefits are an important part of retirement income. Marital status significantly influences these benefits, affecting an individual’s own benefit amount and their eligibility for payments based on a current or former spouse’s earnings record. Understanding these connections is important for financial planning. The Social Security Administration provides specific provisions that acknowledge financial interdependence within marriages, creating distinct benefit categories.

Benefits for Spouses

Social Security offers provisions for spouses to claim benefits based on their current partner’s work record. To qualify for spousal benefits, an individual must be at least 62 years old and have been married to their spouse for at least one continuous year. The spouse whose record is being used must already be receiving their Social Security retirement or disability benefits. An exception allows claiming at any age for those caring for a child under age 16 or a child receiving Social Security disability benefits.

The maximum spousal benefit an individual can receive is 50% of their spouse’s primary insurance amount (PIA) at their full retirement age (FRA). Claiming spousal benefits before reaching one’s full retirement age results in a permanent reduction. For example, claiming at age 62 can reduce the benefit to approximately 32.5% to 35% of the spouse’s FRA benefit. The reduction rate is approximately 0.7% for each month benefits are taken before FRA, up to 36 months.

A rule affecting spousal benefits is “deemed filing,” which applies to individuals born on or after January 2, 1954. If you are eligible for both your own retirement benefit and a spousal benefit, applying for one automatically means you have applied for the other. The Social Security Administration will then pay the higher of the two benefit amounts. This prevents individuals from strategically claiming only spousal benefits while allowing their own retirement benefits to grow through delayed retirement credits. Claiming spousal benefits does not reduce the primary worker’s benefit amount.

Benefits for Surviving Spouses

For individuals who have lost a spouse, Social Security offers survivor benefits. To be eligible, a widow or widower must have been married to the deceased for at least nine months at the time of their death, though exceptions exist for accidental deaths or those occurring in military service. The earliest age a surviving spouse can claim benefits is 60, or age 50 if they are disabled.

The benefit amount for a surviving spouse can be up to 100% of the deceased spouse’s Social Security benefit at their full retirement age (FRA). If a surviving spouse claims benefits before reaching their own full retirement age, the amount will be reduced. For example, claiming at age 60 could result in a benefit between 71.5% and 99% of the deceased’s benefit. However, if the surviving spouse is caring for the deceased’s child who is under age 16 or is disabled, they can receive 75% of the deceased’s benefit at any age without reduction.

Remarriage can impact eligibility for survivor benefits. If a surviving spouse remarries before reaching age 60, or age 50 if disabled, their survivor benefits terminate. However, if the remarriage occurs at or after age 60, or at or after age 50 if disabled, their eligibility for survivor benefits is not affected. Should a subsequent marriage end, eligibility for the previous survivor benefits may be reinstated.

If a surviving spouse is also eligible for Social Security benefits based on their own work record, the Social Security Administration will pay the higher of the two amounts.

Benefits for Divorced Spouses

Social Security rules extend benefits to former spouses, allowing them to claim based on an ex-spouse’s earnings record. To qualify, the marriage must have lasted for at least 10 years. The claimant must be currently unmarried and at least 62 years old. The ex-spouse must also be eligible for Social Security retirement or disability benefits.

The ex-spouse does not need to be actively claiming their own Social Security benefits for the former spouse to claim, provided they have been divorced for at least two years. If the divorce occurred less than two years prior, the ex-spouse must be receiving their benefits for the former spouse to claim. The maximum amount a divorced spouse can receive is 50% of the ex-spouse’s full retirement age benefit. This amount is reduced if the divorced spouse claims before their own full retirement age.

Claiming benefits as a divorced spouse does not reduce the ex-spouse’s own Social Security benefits. It also does not affect any benefits their current spouse might receive. Divorced spouses can be ‘dually entitled,’ meaning they may receive benefits based on their own earnings record or their ex-spouse’s, whichever results in a higher payment.

Remarriage terminates eligibility for divorced spousal benefits. However, if the subsequent marriage ends due to death, divorce, or annulment, eligibility for benefits based on the former spouse’s record may be reestablished.

How Marriage Affects Your Own Social Security Benefits and the Earnings Test

An individual’s own Social Security retirement benefit, known as the Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), is determined by their lifetime earnings history, regardless of marital status. Marriage does not directly alter this individual benefit calculation. However, being married introduces considerations, particularly concerning the Social Security Earnings Test.

The Social Security Earnings Test reduces benefits for individuals who work and earn above specific income thresholds while receiving Social Security payments before reaching their full retirement age (FRA). This test applies to the earnings of the individual claiming benefits, not to the combined household income of a married couple. If one spouse continues to work and triggers the earnings test, it can lead to a reduction in the couple’s overall Social Security income.

For individuals who are under their full retirement age for the entire year, the earnings limit for 2025 is $23,400. For every $2 earned above this limit, $1 is deducted from their Social Security benefits. A different rule applies in the year an individual reaches their full retirement age; the earnings limit for 2025 is $62,160. In this scenario, $1 is deducted for every $3 earned above the limit, but only for earnings accrued in the months before reaching FRA.

Once an individual reaches their full retirement age, the Social Security Earnings Test no longer applies, and there is no limit on how much they can earn while receiving their full benefits. While marriage itself does not change an individual’s PIA, it often prompts couples to consider coordinated claiming strategies to maximize their combined Social Security benefits over their lifetimes. These strategies account for both spouses’ earnings records and ages to optimize the total benefit payout for the household.