Social Security is an essential part of how most Americans make ends meet in retirement. For workers who pay into the Social Security system throughout their careers, it's easy to see those benefits as a return of the payroll taxes that got taken out of their checks over the years.
However, Social Security also provides coverage for workers' family members. In particular, spousal benefits give eligible spouses of covered workers a substantial benefit. And best of all, spouses can be eligible without having any work history at all. As a result, spousal benefits can put as much as $1,889 per month into your pocket without you ever having had to work for a paycheck -- or pay any wage taxes into the system.
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What it takes to get spousal benefits
For workers, getting retirement benefits takes years of effort. Eligibility for most Social Security retirement benefits hinges on having accumulated at least 40 Social Security credits in the course of your career. A person can earn a maximum of four credits per year, and in 2023, it took earnings of $1,640 to earn one credit (and thus $6,560 to earn four). Therefore, to be entitled to receive Social Security payments after retirement based on your own employment history, you must generally work for a minimum of 10 years.
Or instead, one may be able to claim benefits based on their spouse's work history. To do that, generally, the only requirement is that you must have been married to them for at least one year before you claim benefits. However, if you have a child with your spouse, the one-year rule doesn't apply and you can get spousal benefits immediately.
In some cases, divorced persons can also be eligible to receive benefits based on an ex-spouse's work record. However, different rules apply: The would-be recipient may not have remarried, and their marriage to the ex-spouse in question must have lasted at least 10 years.
How much are spousal benefits?
The amount of spousal benefits you're entitled to receive depends on the primary insurance amount (PIA) of the worker upon whose work history you're claiming Social Security. The more earnings the working spouse had over their career, the larger their PIA will be.
Typically, a spousal benefit will be equal to one-half of the PIA. The PIA represents the benefit that the worker would be eligible to receive by claiming at their full retirement age.
Note that even if the worker claims retirement benefits early, it doesn't necessarily affect the amount the spouse will get in spousal benefits. If the spouse waits until full retirement age before claiming, then their spousal benefit will not get reduced for an early claim. However, if the spouse claims before they reach full retirement age, then reductions will apply. The amounts of the reductions differ slightly from the reductions imposed on a worker's benefit for claiming early. For each month early, up to 36 months, spousal benefits get reduced by 25/36 of a percentage point. Beyond 36 months, each month incurs an additional reduction of 5/12 of a percentage point.
How big can spousal benefits get?
To get a sense of the maximum benefit on the table here, take a look at the most recent figures from the Social Security Administration. For someone turning 66 in 2024, the maximum retirement benefit is $3,652 per month. However, this person would likely have a full retirement age of 66 1/2, so the $3,652 amount reflects a reduction of 3 1/3%. The corresponding PIA to generate this monthly payment would be about $3,778. Half of that is $1,889, so that's the biggest monthly spousal benefit you can expect to get.
You should be aware that if you have a work history of your own, you won't be able to just add the spousal benefit amount to your own retirement benefit. The Social Security Administration will pay you whichever of the two amounts is greater.
In addition, spousal benefits for a spouse generally aren't available unless the worker has claimed retirement benefits. So even if you'd otherwise be eligible, you might have to wait until your working spouse starts getting Social Security before you can claim spousal benefits.
Get the money you deserve from Social Security
Social Security was designed to financially assist not just retired workers but their spouses and other eligible family members. Even if you didn't work and never paid wage taxes into the program, you've earned your Social Security. Be sure to understand your benefit so you can get as much as you're entitled to receive.
