Social Security Spousal Benefits Can Add Up to $10,000 a Year. Most Couples Never Claim Them Correctly

Social Security spousal benefits can be worth up to $10,000 per year, but many couples don’t claim them correctly, the article argues. It explains that a qualifying spouse can receive up to 50% of the other spouse’s primary insurance amount, which is the benefit the higher earner receives at full retirement age. A crucial distinction is that spousal benefits do not increase by delaying past full retirement age; waiting beyond that does not boost the spousal amount. Spousal eligibility requires the claimant to be at least 62 and the higher earner to have filed. Claiming early can permanently reduce the spousal benefit by up to 35%. The article then emphasizes coordination strategies: often the lower earner claims earlier while the higher earner delays until 70, when benefits rise about 8% per year past full retirement age.