Benefits for Spouses

If you're receiving retirement or disability benefits, your wife or husband may also receive benefits at age 62 or under 62 if he or she is taking care of your child who is under age 16 or disabled. Your spouse receives one half of your full-retirement age benefit unless she or he begins collecting benefits before full-retirement age. In that case, the amount of the spouse's benefit is permanently reduced by a percentage based on the number of months before she or he reaches full-retirement age.

However, if your spouse is taking care of your child, she or he gets full benefits regardless of age: When spouses are eligible for both retirement benefits on their own Social Security record and for benefits as a spouse, we always pay their own benefit first. If the benefit as a spouse is higher than the retirement benefit, they get a combination of benefits equaling the higher spouse benefit.