You’ve spent decades working, or maybe you’ve spent decades supporting a spouse who did. Now you’re looking at retirement and the math starts getting fuzzy. One of the most common questions people ask is basically this: if my partner has a solid work history and I don't (or mine is just lower), what's my cut?
Getting the answer to how much does spouse get social security isn't as simple as checking a single box on a form. It's a mix of timing, age, and a few "gotchas" that the Social Security Administration (SSA) doesn't always make obvious.
The 50 Percent Rule (And the Catch)
In a perfect world where everyone retires at exactly the right time, the rule is simple. A spouse can receive up to 50% of the worker’s Primary Insurance Amount (PIA).
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The PIA is the amount the working spouse is entitled to at their Full Retirement Age (FRA). So, if your husband or wife is set to get $3,000 a month at age 67, your maximum spousal benefit is $1,500.
But here’s the thing. You only get that full 50% if you wait until your own Full Retirement Age to claim it. If you jump the gun and claim at 62, that $1,500 isn't $1,500 anymore. It drops. Significantly.
For those reaching eligibility in 2026, claiming at 62 might leave you with as little as 32.5% of their benefit. That’s a massive haircut for five years of early checks.
Why Your Spouse’s Timing Doesn't Change Your Base
A weirdly common myth is that if the working spouse waits until 70 to get those juicy "delayed retirement credits," the non-working spouse gets more too.
Nope.
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Spousal benefits are strictly tied to the worker's FRA amount. If your spouse waits until 70 to get $4,000, but their amount at 67 was only $3,000, your 50% cap is still based on the $3,000. You don't get a piece of their delayed credits.
What About Your Own Work Record?
Social Security doesn't let you "double dip." You can't just take your own retirement check and then add a full spousal benefit on top of it like a cherry.
Basically, the SSA looks at both. If your own retirement benefit is $1,200 and your spousal benefit is $1,500, they pay your $1,200 first. Then, they add a "top-off" of $300 to bring you up to that $1,500 total.
If your own check is already higher than half of theirs? You get yours. You don't get anything extra from their record. It's a "whichever is higher" situation, not an "and" situation.
The 2026 Landscape: What’s Changed?
As of January 2026, the maximum Social Security retirement benefit for someone retiring at FRA has climbed to $4,152. This means the absolute ceiling for a spousal benefit (for those whose partners were max earners) is now around $2,076 per month.
Of course, that’s the extreme high end. The average couple in 2026 is seeing a combined benefit of roughly $3,208 after the latest 2.8% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA).
The Big Win for Public Employees
For years, people like teachers, police officers, and postal workers got hammered by something called the Government Pension Offset (GPO). If you had a pension from a government job where you didn't pay into Social Security, the SSA would slash your spousal benefit by two-thirds of your pension amount. For many, this meant their spousal benefit was $0.
That changed. With the Social Security Fairness Act finally in full effect as of last year, the GPO and its cousin, the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), were eliminated.
If you were previously denied or had your check reduced because of a state or local government pension, you’re likely seeing a much larger deposit now. The SSA began paying out these "un-slashed" benefits and even some retroactive payments starting in early 2025.
Divorced? You Might Still Get Paid
The "Ex-Spouse" rule is one of those things that sounds too good to be true, but it's real. If you were married for at least 10 years and you’ve been divorced for at least two, you can claim benefits on your ex’s record—even if they haven't retired yet (as long as they are at least 62).
The best part? Your ex-spouse never even has to know. It doesn’t affect their check, and it doesn’t affect their current spouse’s check.
- You must be unmarried to do this.
- If you remarry, the benefit usually stops.
- If your second marriage ends, you can sometimes "hop" back onto the first ex-spouse's record if it pays more.
When the Spouse Passes Away
Everything changes if your spouse dies. You graduate from "spousal benefits" to "survivor benefits."
This is where the math gets much better. Instead of "up to 50%," a surviving spouse is generally eligible for 100% of what the deceased spouse was receiving.
If your husband was getting $3,000 and you were getting a $1,000 spousal top-off, your $1,000 disappears and you just start getting his $3,000. You don't keep both. You just keep the bigger one.
Common Speed Bumps
Don't forget the Earnings Test. If you are under your Full Retirement Age and you’re still working while drawing a spousal benefit, the SSA will hold back some of your money.
In 2026, the limit is $24,480. For every $2 you earn above that, the SSA takes back $1 of your benefit. Once you hit your FRA, this limit disappears, and they actually recalibrate your monthly check to pay you back what they withheld over time. Still, it’s a cash-flow headache if you aren't prepared for it.
Then there’s Medicare. Most people have their Part B premiums (which saw a sharp hike this year) deducted directly from their Social Security check. So, when you’re calculating how much you’ll actually have for groceries, remember that the "gross" amount the SSA tells you isn't what lands in your bank account.
Actionable Steps to Maximize Your Amount
- Check the "Break-Even" Age: Use the SSA’s online calculators to see if claiming at 62 is worth the permanent 30-35% reduction. Most people need to live past 78 or 80 to make waiting until 67 "profitable."
- Audit Your Exes: If you’ve had multiple marriages that lasted 10+ years, call the SSA. You are entitled to the highest benefit among all of them.
- Verify Pension Status: If you’re a retired teacher or civil servant, ensure your record has been updated to reflect the removal of the GPO/WEP offsets.
- Coordinate with Your Partner: If one spouse was a much higher earner, it often makes sense for the higher earner to wait until 70. This maximizes the survivor benefit for the other spouse later on.
To get your specific numbers, log into your "my Social Security" account at SSA.gov. It will show you exactly what you're eligible for based on your current age and your spouse's actual earnings history.