
Social Security Spousal Benefits and the Half Benefit Rule
A spouse can receive up to half of the other's full benefit, but only once both have filed, and waiting past full retirement age adds nothing to it.
Work out what waiting to claim is worth, and dodge the late-signup penalties that never go away.
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A spouse can receive up to half of the other's full benefit, but only once both have filed, and waiting past full retirement age adds nothing to it.

Your benefit comes from your top thirty five years of indexed earnings run through a formula that favors lower earners. What that means for working longer.

Four parts, three enrollment windows and penalties that last for life. What each part covers and costs, and the dates that decide whether you pay extra.

Claiming at 62 locks in a permanently smaller check than claiming at 70. How the reduction and the delay credit work, and which household each age suits.
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