Spouse Social Security Benefits Calculator

Spouse Social Security Benefits Calculator

Estimate your potential monthly payment based on your spouse's earnings

The monthly amount the primary worker receives at Full Retirement Age.

The amount the spouse would receive based on their own work history.

66 66 and 2 months 66 and 4 months 66 and 6 months 66 and 8 months 66 and 10 months 67

Minimum age is generally 62.

Estimated Results

Understanding Spouse Social Security Benefits

If you are married, you may be eligible to receive Social Security benefits based on your spouse's earnings record. This is particularly beneficial if your own work history is limited or if your spouse earned significantly more than you did during their career.

How the Spousal Benefit is Calculated

The maximum spousal benefit is 50% of the worker's Full Retirement Age (FRA) amount. However, there are several factors that influence the final check you receive:

• Full Retirement Age: To receive the full 50%, you must wait until your own FRA (usually 66 or 67) to claim.
• Early Claiming Penalties: If you claim as early as age 62, the benefit is permanently reduced. For the first 36 months before FRA, the benefit is reduced by 25/36 of 1% per month. For any months beyond 36, it is reduced by an additional 5/12 of 1% per month.
• Dual Entitlement: Social Security will first pay your own benefit. If your spousal benefit is higher, they add an "excess spousal benefit" to your payment to bring the total up to the spousal amount.

Example Calculation

Let's say the primary worker's benefit at FRA is $2,000. The spouse's FRA is 67, but they decide to claim at age 64 (36 months early).

1. Max Spousal Benefit: 50% of $2,000 = $1,000.
2. Reduction: 36 months early results in a 25% reduction.
3. Final Amount: $1,000 – 25% = $750 per month.

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for spousal benefits, you generally must meet the following criteria:

• You must be at least 62 years old (unless caring for a child who is under 16 or disabled).
• You must have been married for at least one continuous year.
• The primary worker must already be receiving their own retirement benefits (with certain exceptions for divorced spouses).

function calculateSpousalBenefit() { var workerPIA = parseFloat(document.getElementById('workerPIA').value); var spouseOwnPIA = parseFloat(document.getElementById('spouseOwnPIA').value) || 0; var spouseFRA = parseFloat(document.getElementById('spouseFRA').value); var claimAge = parseFloat(document.getElementById('claimAge').value); var resultArea = document.getElementById('resultArea'); var resultText = document.getElementById('resultText'); if (isNaN(workerPIA) || isNaN(claimAge)) { alert("Please enter valid numbers for Worker's Benefit and Claim Age."); return; } if (claimAge 0) { // First 36 months: 25/36 of 1% per month (0.006944) var first36 = Math.min(monthsEarly, 36); reductionFactor += first36 * (25 / 3600); // Months beyond 36: 5/12 of 1% per month (0.004166) if (monthsEarly > 36) { var remainingMonths = monthsEarly – 36; reductionFactor += remainingMonths * (5 / 1200); } } var finalSpousalBenefit = baseSpousalBenefit * (1 – reductionFactor); // Dual Entitlement Logic // Note: If spouse claims early, their own benefit is ALSO reduced. // This calculator focuses on the spousal component. // Social Security pays the higher of the two. var displayBenefit = Math.max(spouseOwnPIA, finalSpousalBenefit); var isSpousalHigher = finalSpousalBenefit > spouseOwnPIA; resultArea.style.display = "block"; var html = "Maximum Potential Spousal Benefit (at FRA): $" + baseSpousalBenefit.toFixed(2) + ""; html += "Your Estimated Monthly Benefit at Age " + claimAge + ": $" + displayBenefit.toFixed(2) + ""; if (isSpousalHigher && spouseOwnPIA > 0) { html += "Note: This includes your own benefit plus a spousal top-up because the spousal benefit is higher."; } else if (!isSpousalHigher && spouseOwnPIA > 0) { html += "Note: Your own benefit is higher than the spousal benefit, so you would receive your own benefit instead."; } if (monthsEarly > 0) { var percentReduction = (reductionFactor * 100).toFixed(1); html += "Claiming " + monthsEarly.toFixed(0) + " months before your Full Retirement Age results in a " + percentReduction + "% reduction in the spousal benefit."; } resultText.innerHTML = html; }