Social Security Benefits for Spouses and Children. A little-known feature of the Social Security system is that in addition to paying retirement benefits for the retired worker, it may provide benefits to the worker’s spouse, an ex-spouse if the marriage lasted at least 10 years, and dependent children and grandchildren,…
When do Social Security benefits go to a divorced spouse?
If you have a divorced spouse who qualifies for benefits, it will not affect the amount of benefits you or your family may receive. Benefits are payable to your spouse: Age 62 or older, unless your spouse collects a higher Social Security benefit based on their earnings record.
Can a widow collect on her late spouse’s Social Security?
If you apply on the basis of caring for a child who is under 16 or disabled, you can collect 75 percent of the late spouse’s benefit, regardless of your age. You will not receive a survivor benefit in addition to your own retirement benefit; Social Security will pay the higher of the two amounts.
What happens to your Social Security benefits if your spouse remarries?
Those benefits will continue indefinitely unless your spouse remarries. Benefits for your spouse and kids are also limited by a family maximum, which is the maximum amount that can be paid from your earnings record. For more details on survivor benefits, check out the Social Security Administration’s Web site.
Who is responsible for Child Social Security benefits?
Whenever a minor child receives a benefit, the Social Security Administration pays the benefit to a representative payee. This individual is often a parent and is responsible for managing the benefits on behalf of the child. Before a recent law change, all representative payees were required to file an annual report.
What happens when you apply for Social Security as a spouse?
If you do have enough credits to qualify for your own Social Security benefits and you apply for your own retirement benefits and for benefits as a spouse, we always pay your own benefits first. If your benefits as a spouse are higher than your own retirement benefits, you will get a combination of benefits equaling the higher spouse benefit.
What happens if my wife receives reduced social security?
If your wife is receiving a reduced retirement benefit, when she does apply for additional spouse’s benefits on your record, her own retirement portion remains reduced. When you add spouse’s benefits later, the total retirement and spouses benefit together will total less than 50 percent of the worker’s amount.