Why a Spousal Benefit May Not Apply if Your Own Social Security Benefit Is Higher

I have someone who was told by SSA that if she took SSA based on her spouse’s record, she would be able to receive $3,000 vs her own record of $2,000 but SSA was unable to verify SSA said she would have to retire first and then come back for the real numbers. 

In this situation, it appears that the Social Security Administration (SSA) provided some initial information that needs clarification. The individual was told that she could potentially receive $3,000 per month based on her spouse's record, compared to $2,000 from her own record. However, it’s important to note that a spousal benefit is only payable if half of the spouse’s Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is the full retirement age (FRA) benefit, is greater than the individual's own PIA.

In this case, it seems that the individual's own PIA is already $2,000, which is likely too high to qualify for any additional spousal benefits. The spousal benefit is designed to bring a spouse’s total benefit up to 50% of the higher-earning spouse's PIA. If the individual's own benefit is already higher than half of the spouse’s PIA, no spousal benefit (or "boost") would be added.

Additionally, due to the deemed filing rule, when an individual files for Social Security retirement benefits, they are automatically considered to be filing for all benefits they are eligible for, including spousal benefits. This means that it’s not possible to delay one’s own retirement benefits to receive a spousal benefit first. The only situation where someone might receive a spousal benefit is if their calculated spousal benefit is greater than their own benefit, but in this case, that does not seem to apply.

If there is still uncertainty, it’s advisable to request a formal benefit estimate from SSA before making any decisions. However, based on the information provided, it appears that the individual would only receive the $2,000 from her own work record and not an additional spousal benefit.

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