Social Security Benefits for Spouses: Eligibility & Options

Social Security spouse benefits are a type of benefit that you can receive as the spouse of an individual who is on Social Security. This benefit is designed to provide couples with additional money when one of them is on Social Security. Here are the basics of the Social Security spousal benefits.

Choice

If you are the spouse of someone that is on Social Security, you have two options when it comes to taking your benefit. You can take a benefit that is based on your own working record, or you can take half of the benefit that is being paid to your spouse. You will automatically receive the higher of the two benefits. This provides you with two options to ensure that you get the most money that is available to you.

Higher Payment

If you want to, you have the option to take only the spousal benefit until you reach the age of 65. At that point, you can take the full benefit to which you are entitled based on your working record. By doing this, you will be able to increase the amount of the monthly payment that you receive once you start taking full Social Security payments.