3 Critical Facts About Social Security for Married Couples—And Why Most Retirees Don't Know Them

A troubling pattern has emerged: most Americans lack fundamental knowledge about how Social Security works for married couples. According to the 2024 Nationwide Retirement Institute survey, roughly 30% of adults don’t realize Social Security extends benefits to spouses and children. Even worse, 53% are unaware that divorced individuals might qualify for payments based on an ex-spouse’s earnings history. These gaps aren’t academic—they translate directly into lost retirement income.

Can You Claim Social Security Using Your Spouse’s Work Record?

Here’s what catches many couples off guard: you don’t need your own employment history to receive Social Security benefits. Married spouses can tap into their retired partner’s earnings record, assuming three conditions are met.

First, the marriage must have lasted at least 12 consecutive months. Second, the claiming spouse must either be 62 or older, or be caring for a qualifying child (under 16 or receiving disability payments). Third, the retired worker whose record you’re claiming from must already be collecting their own retirement benefits.

A crucial detail many miss: if you qualify for both retired-worker benefits on your own record and spousal benefits on your partner’s record, Social Security automatically awards you whichever amount is larger. You don’t need to choose—the system handles it.

Timing Matters: Why Claiming Age Determines Your Spousal Social Security Payout

The relationship between claim age and benefit amount is stark. Your payout as a spouse depends on two variables: when you claim and your retired partner’s primary insurance amount (PIA)—essentially, what they’d receive starting at full retirement age (FRA), which is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later.

Here’s where strategy becomes essential: spouses can receive up to 50% of their partner’s PIA, but only by claiming at full retirement age. Claim earlier, and you forfeit a percentage:

A critical distinction separates this from retired-worker benefits. Retired workers who delay claiming can earn delayed retirement credits, boosting their payment for each year after FRA. Spouses cannot accumulate these credits. This means there’s no financial reward for waiting past full retirement age—your maximum spousal benefit is locked in at FRA. When someone qualifies for both types of benefits, claiming automatically triggers applications for both, and they receive whichever is higher.

What About Divorced Spouses? Social Security Has a Different Rule

The Social Security system offers divorced individuals a path many don’t know exists. Former spouses can receive benefits on an ex-partner’s earnings record under specific circumstances.

The eligibility requirements are distinct: the divorced person must be 62 or older (or caring for a qualifying child), the marriage must have lasted a minimum of 10 years, the person must not be currently remarried, and at least two years must have passed since the divorce finalized.

Here’s where divorced spouses gain an advantage over current spouses: they can claim benefits even if their ex-partner hasn’t started collecting Social Security yet. This flexibility doesn’t exist for married couples. Additionally, if the divorced person remarries, they lose access to their ex’s benefits—but the rule works differently for the ex-partner. Their remarriage status has zero impact on a former spouse’s eligibility. And perhaps most importantly, claiming on an ex-partner’s record doesn’t reduce that person’s benefits or alert them to the claim. It’s a completely independent transaction.

The knowledge gaps about married couples’ Social Security for married couples and their options represent genuine wealth risks. Understanding these three pillars—spousal eligibility, claim timing, and divorced-spouse rules—can shift retirement outcomes substantially.