A spouse can get up to 50% of the worker's full Social Security retirement benefit (the "primary insurance amount," or the amount the worker gets at full retirement age). That top amount is paid only if the spouse claims at their own full retirement age, which is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. Claim at 62 and the spousal benefit drops to about 32.5% of the worker's full benefit, for life. The spouse must usually be at least 62 and married for at least a year, and the worker must already be collecting. If the spouse has a work record of their own, Social Security pays that first and adds spousal money only when half the worker's amount is bigger.
The 2027 figures below come from the Social Security Administration (SSA), which announced a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) on October 14, 2026. The 2027 amounts start with January 2027 payments. Until then, 2026 figures are the ones in effect.
Social Security Spousal Benefits 2027 at a Glance
| Rule | 2027 |
|---|
| Most a spouse can get | 50% of the worker's full retirement benefit |
| Earliest age to claim (no child in care) | 62 |
| Spousal benefit at 62 (full retirement age 67) | 32.5% of the worker's full benefit |
| Full retirement age, born 1960 or later | 67 |
| Extra credit for waiting past full retirement age | None for spousal benefits |
| Marriage length needed (current spouse) | Usually 1 year |
| Marriage length needed (divorced spouse) | 10 years |
| Earnings limit if under full retirement age | $25,560 a year ($1 withheld for every $2 over) |
| Earnings limit in the year you reach full retirement age | $67,920 a year ($1 withheld for every $3 over) |
| Cost-of-living adjustment | 3.6% |
Sources: 20 CFR 404.330, 404.331, 404.333 and 404.410; SSA 2027 COLA fact sheet.
How Much a Spouse Can Get
The spousal benefit is figured from the worker's primary insurance amount, not from whatever check the worker actually receives. That detail drives most of the confusion.
- The worker claiming early does not shrink the spousal benefit. If your husband takes his own benefit at 62 and gets a reduced check, your spousal amount is still based on half of his full, unreduced benefit.
- The worker waiting until 70 does not raise it. Delayed retirement credits increase the worker's own check (and a surviving spouse's benefit later), but the spousal benefit stays capped at half the full amount.
- The spouse waiting past full retirement age does not help either. There are no delayed credits on spousal benefits, so there is no reason for the spouse to hold off past full retirement age to get more spousal money.
Here is what that looks like for a few sample worker benefits, with the spouse claiming at full retirement age:
| Worker's full retirement benefit | Spouse's maximum (50%) | Spouse at 62 (32.5%) |
|---|
| $1,500 a month | $750 | $487.50 |
| $2,000 a month | $1,000 | $650 |
| $2,500 a month | $1,250 | $812.50 |
| $3,000 a month | $1,500 | $975 |
| $4,188 a month (2027 maximum at 67) | $2,094 | $1,361.10 |
These are examples using a full retirement age of 67 and before any Medicare premium is taken out. SSA rounds actual amounts down to the dollar. The $4,188 row is SSA's 2027 maximum retirement benefit at full retirement age, which very few workers reach. See our guide to the maximum Social Security benefit for 2027.
What spouses actually get: SSA's Monthly Statistical Snapshot for September 2026 shows about 2.1 million spouses of retired workers receiving an average of about $987 a month. The 3.6% COLA applies to spousal benefits too, so that average should move to roughly $1,020 in January 2027. SSA also estimates the average aged couple where both spouses receive benefits goes from $3,238 to $3,355 a month in January 2027.
Spousal Benefit Reduction by Claiming Age
Federal rules cut the spousal benefit by 25/36 of 1% for each of the first 36 months before full retirement age, and 5/12 of 1% for each month beyond that (20 CFR 404.410(b)). That is a steeper cut than the worker's own reduction, which is why a spouse at 62 gets 32.5% while a worker at 62 keeps 70% of their own benefit.
For a spouse with a full retirement age of 67 (born 1960 or later):
| Spouse claims at | Months early | Spousal benefit, as a share of the worker's full benefit | On a $2,000 worker benefit |
|---|
| 62 | 60 | 32.5% | $650 |
| 63 | 48 | 35.0% | $700 |
| 64 | 36 | 37.5% | $750 |
| 65 | 24 | About 41.7% | About $833 |
| 66 | 12 | About 45.8% | About $916 |
| 67 or later | 0 | 50.0% | $1,000 |
If you were born from 1957 to 1959, your full retirement age is 66 and 6 months, 66 and 8 months, or 66 and 10 months. You have fewer months of reduction at each age, so your percentages run a little higher than the table. SSA's spouse's benefit calculator at ssa.gov/OACT/quickcalc/spouse.html works out the exact percentage for your birth date.
The child-in-care exception: a spouse of any age can get spousal benefits with no age reduction while caring for the worker's child who is under 16 or disabled and is getting benefits on the worker's record. The family maximum (below) can still lower the amount.
Who Qualifies for Spousal Benefits
Under 20 CFR 404.330, a current spouse generally qualifies when all of these are true:
- The worker is getting Social Security retirement or disability benefits.
- You have been married at least 1 year. (This is waived if you are parents of a child together, or in a few remarriage situations.)
- You are 62 or older, or you care for the worker's qualifying child under 16 or disabled.
- Your own retirement benefit at full retirement age is smaller than half of the worker's.
- You apply.
The worker needs 40 work credits (about 10 years of work) to qualify for retirement. You do not need any work credits of your own to get a spousal benefit.
If your spouse is on disability instead of retirement, the rules for spouses and children are different in a few places. Our SSDI spousal benefits guide covers that case.
When You Have Your Own Work Record
Most married people today have their own earnings record. Social Security does not let you collect your own benefit and a full spousal benefit on top of it. You get your own benefit first. If half of your spouse's full benefit is larger, SSA adds the difference, sometimes called the spousal "excess."
Example at full retirement age:
| Amount |
|---|
| Husband's full retirement benefit | $2,400 |
| Half of his benefit | $1,200 |
| Wife's own full retirement benefit | $800 |
| Spousal top-up ($1,200 minus $800) | $400 |
| Wife's total check | $1,200 |
The same wife claiming everything at 62, with a full retirement age of 67:
| Amount |
|---|
| Her own benefit, reduced 30% | $560 |
| Spousal top-up, reduced 35% ($400 x 0.65) | $260 |
| Wife's total check | $820 |
Claiming at 62 cost her $380 a month for life in this example. Each piece is reduced by its own formula, so the total is not simply 32.5% of anything.
If your own full benefit is equal to or larger than half your spouse's, you get no spousal benefit at all. You just collect your own.
Deemed Filing: You Cannot Claim One and Save the Other
Since the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, anyone born on or after January 2, 1954 is "deemed" to apply for every retirement and spousal benefit they qualify for at the moment they apply. You cannot take the spousal benefit now and let your own grow until 70. That old strategy, the "restricted application," only ever worked for people born before January 2, 1954, all of whom are now past 70.
What you still control: when you claim. Your own benefit still earns delayed retirement credits if you wait past full retirement age. A spousal top-up can also start later than your own benefit if your spouse files after you, in which case SSA adds it from the month you become eligible for it.
Divorced Spouse Benefits
You can collect on an ex-spouse's record under 20 CFR 404.331 if:
- The marriage lasted at least 10 years before the divorce was final.
- You are currently unmarried.
- You are 62 or older.
- Your own full benefit is smaller than half of your ex's.
Your ex does not have to be collecting yet. If your ex is at least 62 and you have been divorced for at least 2 years, you can claim even if your ex has not filed. Your benefit does not reduce what your ex or their current spouse receives. Divorced spouse benefits also do not count toward the family maximum.
If you remarry, you usually lose benefits on your ex's record. If that later marriage ends, you may become eligible again.
The Family Maximum
Social Security caps the total paid each month on one worker's record. SSA says the limit is generally about 150% to 180% of the worker's full benefit. The worker's own check is never cut by this limit. If a spouse and several children all draw on the same record, their benefits are reduced in proportion to fit under the cap. A spouse alone with no children rarely runs into it.
Working While Getting Spousal Benefits
If you are under full retirement age and still working, the 2027 earnings test applies to your spousal benefit:
| Your situation in 2027 | Earnings limit | Withholding |
|---|
| Under full retirement age all year | $25,560 a year | $1 for every $2 over |
| Reaching full retirement age in 2027 | $67,920 a year | $1 for every $3 over, counting only earnings before the month you reach full retirement age |
| Full retirement age or older | No limit | None |
Two things to know. First, the worker's earnings matter too: if the worker is under full retirement age and over the limit, SSA can withhold benefits from family members on that record, including the spouse. Your own earnings only affect your own check. Second, money withheld is not lost. At full retirement age SSA recalculates your benefit to credit the months it held back. For worked examples, see the Social Security earnings limit for 2027.
Spouses With a Government Pension
Until recently, the Government Pension Offset cut spousal and survivor benefits for people with a pension from work not covered by Social Security, such as many teachers, police officers and some state and local workers. The Social Security Fairness Act, signed January 5, 2025, repealed that offset (and the Windfall Elimination Provision) for benefits payable after December 2023. If you have a public pension and were told years ago that you could not get spousal benefits, check again. You may qualify now.
What Happens When the Worker Dies
A spousal benefit becomes a survivor benefit when the worker dies, and the survivor benefit is larger. A surviving spouse at full retirement age can get 100% of what the worker was receiving, including any delayed credits the worker earned by waiting. That is why the higher earner's claiming age matters for both spouses. Waiting to 70 does not raise the spousal benefit, but it does raise what the surviving spouse would get. Survivor benefits can start as early as 60, at a reduced rate.
How to Apply for Spousal Benefits
- Check your numbers first. Create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov to see your own estimated benefit. Ask your spouse for theirs, or use SSA's spouse's benefit calculator.
- Confirm the worker has filed. For a current spouse, the worker must be getting benefits before you can collect a spousal benefit. Divorced spouses meeting the 2-year rule are the exception.
- Gather documents. Birth certificate, marriage certificate (or divorce decree for a divorced spouse), your Social Security number and the worker's, last year's W-2 or self-employment tax return, and bank details for direct deposit. SSA accepts originals or certified copies and returns them.
- Apply. You can apply online at ssa.gov (the retirement application also covers spouse's benefits), by phone at 1-800-772-1213, or at a local Social Security office. You can apply up to 4 months before you want payments to start.
- Pick your start month carefully. If you are past full retirement age, SSA can pay up to 6 months of back benefits. Before full retirement age, benefits generally cannot start earlier than the month you apply, and the early-claiming reduction is permanent.
- Watch for the decision letter. It lists your monthly amount and start date. Payments arrive on a Wednesday tied to the worker's birth date. See the 2027 Social Security payment schedule.
If your household's income and savings are low, you may also qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) at 65 or older. The 2027 federal SSI amount is $1,029 a month for one person and $1,544 for a couple. See SSI vs Social Security retirement. For every other 2027 change, see Social Security changes in 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much will my wife get from my Social Security?
Up to half of your full retirement benefit if she claims at her full retirement age (67 if born in 1960 or later). If she claims at 62, she gets about 32.5% of your full benefit. If she has her own work record, she gets her own benefit plus any amount needed to bring her total up to that spousal level.
Does my spouse get 50% of my benefit if I wait until 70?
No. The spousal benefit is half of your full retirement age amount, not half of your age-70 amount. Waiting until 70 raises your own check and what your spouse would get as a widow or widower, but not the spousal benefit while you are both alive.
Does collecting spousal benefits reduce my benefit?
No. A spouse's benefit is paid on top of the worker's. Your check stays the same whether or not your spouse claims, unless a large family drawing on your record runs into the family maximum, and even then only the family members' benefits are reduced.
Can I collect spousal benefits if my spouse has not filed?
Not as a current spouse. The worker must be getting retirement or disability benefits first. A divorced spouse can collect without the ex filing, if the ex is at least 62 and the divorce was final at least 2 years ago.
Can I get spousal benefits and my own benefit at the same time?
You get one combined check. SSA pays your own benefit first, then adds a spousal top-up only if half of your spouse's full benefit is larger than your own. You do not get both in full.
Is there a spousal benefits calculator?
Yes. SSA's spouse's benefit calculator (ssa.gov/OACT/quickcalc/spouse.html) estimates the spousal percentage based on your birth date and the age you plan to claim. For your own benefit, the my Social Security account shows estimates from your actual earnings record.
Do spousal benefits get the 2027 COLA?
Yes. Spousal benefits rise 3.6% starting with the January 2027 payment, the same as retirement and disability benefits.
Can a same-sex spouse get spousal benefits?
Yes. Same-sex married couples qualify on the same terms as any married couple.
