There are benefits that can be obtained from the Social Security Administration of the United States that many people are unaware of. These are the benefits you can receive from your spouse; did you know that? They are payments calculated based on the work history of both, and in some cases even of the ex-spouse. There are four questions you need to ask yourself to determine if you qualify for this spousal benefit. First, if you are married, the duration of the marriage must be at least one year old, although, as always, there are exceptions.
If the couple has children or if before the marriage they already had the right to benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Act. Secondly, if you are the applicant for this benefit, your spouse must receive Social Security benefits in order for you to obtain them. This is where divorced couples come in. In these cases, this condition does not apply if the ex-spouse is at least 62 years old and as long as they meet the requirements to obtain benefits.The third condition is age. This benefit requires that the full retirement age or older has been reached in order to receive it.
But again, there are exceptions. In the event that you have a child under 16 years old or of any age but with a disability, who receives benefits such as Social Security Disability Insurance under your partner’s record, it can be requested before the retirement age. You must keep in mind that your own benefit also influences when applying for this assistance.
Social Security Administration (SSA)
There are many aids and benefits that can be requested from the Social Security Administration. One of them (and one of the least known) is that Social Security allows spouses, and even ex-spouses, to receive benefits based on their partner’s work history, as long as they meet the established requirements. There are four basic and key aspects you should ask yourself if you want to apply for this benefit from the Administration.
Duration of marriage
One of the aspects to consider is the duration of the marriage. In case of being currently married, the minimum time must be one year. Exceptions include cases such as when one is a father or mother with the partner, or if before the marriage one was already entitled to certain benefits from Social Security or under the Railroad Retirement Act.
Receive benefits from Social Security
Another requirement is that the spouse must receive Social Security benefits so that the couple can also apply for them. Cases of divorced couples are also considered. In this case, it does not matter, as long as the spouse is at least 62 years old and meets the relevant requirements.
Age limit
Age is a determining factor. The requirement states that one must be at least 62 years or older, but there is another exception. If you are caring for a child under 16 years old or any age with a disability, who receives assistance such as Disability Insurance under the other party’s record, then age will not be taken into account, nor will there be reductions for applying before reaching full retirement age, which is 67 years for those born in 1960 or later.
Own benefits
Finally, the amount of benefits received by the applicant is also taken into account. First, Social Security will pay what corresponds to the work history. The amount received as a spouse is examined. If it is greater, a supplement will be added until reaching the higher value.
Other factors to consider
You must take into account other details:
- Depending on the age at which the couple starts to receive benefits, the benefit can be up to 50% of the base amount that the couple receives.
- When it comes to divorced couples, it is required that the divorce has been in effect for at least 2 years, and the marriage lasted a minimum of 10 years.
- It is worth mentioning that there are legal non-marital unions that are also valid for this application, as long as they meet the other requirements established by Social Security.
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