My husband and i are self employed. The business is under his social security number in a sole proprietorship. When we pay quarterly taxes, its under his ssn. We file taxes jointly. My ssn statement shows 0 income for me. I havent worked for another company for 6 years. My cpa said since we have been married 40 years, I didn't have to worry about getting social security money, I would automatically get it. Im 61 and so is my husband. Is it true i would get social security $ based on being his spouse and equal owner in our business? Should I do anything different? I don't want to make a mistake.

Hi,

If you file for Social Security benefits based on your own work record, you won't get any credit for your work in the business if you aren't paid a wage and if the Social Security taxes on profits are reported under your husband's Social Security number. You could potentially qualify for spousal benefits, but you'd have to be at least age 62 and your husband would have to be drawing his benefits in order for you to be eligible.

There are too many unknown variables involved for me to be able to tell you whether or not doing something different might be advisable. You and your husband may want to strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to investigate your Social Security options.

Best, Jerry