Ask Larry

Can My Wife Collect A Spousal Benefit On My Account?

My 67 y.o. (This Dec.), Wife, and me, (72 this Oct. ) Both collect SS.
Can my wife collect a spousal on my account , with the new collected amount being larger than her current collected amount ?
Thank you.

Hi. Your wife can apply for spousal benefits, but she'll only qualify if 50% of your primary insurance amount (PIA) is more than her own PIA. A person's PIA is equal to their Social Security retirement benefit rate if they start drawing their benefits at full retirement age (FRA). If your PIA is more than twice as much as your wife's PIA, then her spousal amount would be calculated by subtracting her PIA from 50% of your PIA. That would then be paid in addition to her own benefit. You should be able to find out how much your PIAs are by contacting Social Security.

Best, Jerry

Category: 
Posted: 
Jun 9 2021 - 10:03pm
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