Social Security benefits are based on the amount of income you earned during your working life. And so if you never had a paid chore, or if you lot earned less than the minimum qualifying amount over your lifetime, does that hateful you can never have Social Security benefits? Non necessarily -- thanks to the spousal benefits option.

How large are spousal benefits?

Once you striking historic period 62, if your spouse is currently receiving either retirement or disability benefits from Social Security, you as well can receive benefits -- up to half your spouse'southward benefits (not including delayed-retirement credits). If you earn Social Security benefits on your ain but the corporeality of your benefits is less than 1-half your spouse's retirement benefits, you lot tin can receive additional spousal benefits to bring yous upwards to the one-half limit.

Even so, similar standard Social Security benefits, spousal benefits do suffer from an early-retirement penalty. If you start taking the benefits every bit soon as you hitting historic period 62, your benefit checks will be permanently reduced. The formula works as follows: If you lot retire and start claiming benefits ane to 36 months before your full retirement historic period, your benefits will be reduced by roughly v/9 of ane% per calendar month you lot retired early. If y'all retire even earlier than 36 months earlier your full retirement age, your benefit will be reduced by 5/12 of 1% per month beyond the 36-month mark. "Normal retirement age" is calculated based on your birth appointment; if you were born after 1959, it's age 67.

Social Security card and calculator.

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Survivors benefits

If your spouse has died, and he or she qualified for Social Security benefits, yous tin can receive what are called survivors benefits. Survivors benefits are more generous than spousal benefits: If y'all look until full retirement age to claim your benefits, you lot can get 100% of your deceased spouse's benefit amount. You lot can claim survivors benefits as early as historic period threescore, but your benefits will be reduced by that pesky early-retirement penalty. If you lot're disabled, you can merits the benefits as early as historic period l; again, the benefit amount would exist permanently reduced for claiming the benefits that early on.  If y'all authorize for survivors benefits, you may likewise be eligible for a lump-sum death payment of $255.

Spousal benefits if you're divorced

If y'all're not married at the time you lot striking retirement age, you still accept a shot at getting spousal benefits. If you're divorced but your wedlock lasted at least 10 years, and your former spouse is entitled to retirement and/or disability benefits, and you're currently unmarried, and then you're eligible for spousal benefits only equally if you were nevertheless married to the qualifying ex-spouse. If your ex-spouse has died earlier you lot hit age 62 just you encounter all the other requirements for challenge spousal benefits, you can claim survivors benefits simply as though you hadn't been divorced.

Claiming your benefits

Claiming spousal benefits can be done through the same application process as claiming standard Social Security benefits. In fact, if you apply for Social Security benefits at the aforementioned time equally your spouse, or if your spouse is already receiving benefits when you apply, the Social Security Administration will automatically cheque to encounter if you are eligible for spousal benefits and will sign you up for said benefits if yous are.

Applying for survivors benefits is a little more complicated. Unlike standard and spousal Social Security benefits, you can't apply for survivors benefits online. You'll need to call Social Security and asking an engagement to offset the application process. However, if y'all're already receiving spousal benefits at the fourth dimension your spouse dies, you will automatically exist switched over to survivors benefits -- which means your benefits will likely increase significantly.