You're nearing 62 and you're chomping at the bit to sign up for Social Security. You're ready to get back some of the money you've put into the program, and you want as many checks as possible. There's just one thing holding you back.
You're married, and you don't want your decision to hurt the spousal benefit your partner qualifies for. It's a natural thing to worry about, since claiming early can reduce the size of your own retirement benefit by up to 30%. You're right in thinking that your choices affect your spouse's benefits, but they may not do so in the way you expect.
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How spousal Social Security benefits work
To qualify for a spousal benefit, you must be married to a qualifying worker -- that is, one who has worked long enough to earn 40 credits. One credit is defined as $1,810 in earnings in 2025, and you can earn up to four credits per year. There's generally a one-year length of marriage rule, though that's waived if you were already eligible for Social Security in the month before the month you got married, or if you're the parent of your spouse's child.
A spousal benefit is worth up to one-half of the retirement benefit the worker qualifies for at their full retirement age (FRA). Your FRA depends on your birth year, but it's 67 for most adults today. As mentioned above, if you claim retirement benefits early, you could shrink your checks up to 30%. But your claiming age has no bearing on the size of your partner's spousal benefit.
Your spouse's claiming age does matter, though. To qualify for the maximum spousal benefit, they must wait until they reach their own FRA to apply. Claiming early reduces their checks by 25/36 of 1% per month for up to 36 months, and then by 5/12 of 1% per month thereafter. That can drop their checks by 35%.
If a retired worker qualifies for a $2,000 monthly benefit at their FRA, that means their partner's maximum spousal benefit is $1,000 at their own FRA. If the spouse claims immediately at 62, they would only get $650 per check if their FRA is 67. This reduction is permanent.
It's worth pointing out that your partner may not get a spousal benefit even if they qualify for one. When their own retirement benefit is larger than their spousal benefit, the government pays them the retirement benefit instead. You cannot claim both benefits at once.
How your Social Security decisions affect your spouse
While your choice to claim Social Security early may not directly harm your partner's spousal benefit, it will affect them in a few ways. First, it allows them to apply for spousal benefits earlier. They must wait until you apply for Social Security before they can claim a spousal benefit.
Second, claiming early reduces the survivor benefit your partner qualifies for after you pass away. For this reason, some people choose to delay Social Security, or avoid claiming altogether if they're in poor health and believe their spouse will be heavily dependent upon Social Security to make ends meet.
But ultimately, when you sign up for Social Security is a personal decision, one that's best talked through with your spouse. When you work together, you can coordinate your claiming strategy to take home the largest household benefits.
Sometimes, this involves the lower-earning spouse claiming their own retirement benefit, assuming they qualify for one, early. This helps the higher-earning spouse to delay benefits until their FRA or even later. You continue to grow your checks for every month you delay benefits until you turn 70. Then, when the higher earner applies for benefits, the lower earner can switch to a spousal benefit if it's worth more than what they're currently receiving.
You can estimate your own retirement benefit and your spousal benefit through your my Social Security account. You can set one of these up for free in a few minutes. Have your spouse do this as well. There's a tool in your account that can help you figure out what kind of spousal and retirement benefit you'll qualify for at every possible claiming age.
Use this information to start a conversation with your partner about when each of you wants to apply for Social Security. But stay open to changing your plan, if necessary, as you get closer to signing up.
