Step One
Enter Both Spouses' Information
Benefit at age 67 — find at SSA.gov
Their own earned benefit at 67. May be $0 if little/no work history.
Projection Assumptions
2025 COLA was 2.5%. Long-run average ~2.5%.
Used to show today's dollar equivalent of future benefits.
Lifetime Household Income
Three Claiming Strategies Compared
The Survivor Benefit
What the Surviving Spouse Receives
Spousal Benefit Calculation
How the Spouse's Benefit Is Determined
Cumulative Household Income — All Three Strategies
Hover for values. Lines diverge as years pass — the gap is the cost of the claiming decision.
Projected in nominal dollars with COLA applied. Hover for exact values.
Essential Rules
Four Things Every Couple Must Know
Spousal Benefit Maximum
The spousal benefit is up to 50% of the higher earner's FRA benefit — not 50% of what they actually receive. Claiming before your own FRA permanently reduces your spousal benefit.
The File-First Requirement
The higher earner must be actively collecting Social Security before the lower earner can claim spousal benefits. Strategies that depend on filing without claiming are no longer available.
Survivor Benefit Rule
When one spouse dies, the smaller of the two checks stops. The survivor keeps only the larger. Every year the higher earner waits to claim increases the survivor's permanent income by up to 8%.
Divorced Spouse Benefits
If you were married 10+ years and are now divorced and unmarried, you may still collect up to 50% of your ex-spouse's FRA benefit — without affecting their benefit or current spouse's benefit.
Your Personalized Recommendation
—
Watch: The Social Security Spousal Benefit Most Couples Miss
The full video covers spousal, survivor, and divorced spouse benefits — and the claiming strategies that maximize both.
Sources
Nationwide Retirement Institute 2025 — 30% of Americans believe SS offers no spousal benefits; 50% unaware of divorced spouse benefits
fool.com — Social Security Knowledge Gaps
Social Security Administration — Benefits for Spouses and Survivors
ssa.gov — Spousal Benefits Calculator
Greenbush Financial — Social Security Spousal Benefit Rules Explained
greenbushfinancial.com — Spousal Benefits Guide
SSA — The average American woman spends 15 years as a widow (actuarial data)
ssa.gov — Life Tables