Q. Is it correct that if my wife receives Social Security based on her own earnings at 62 she cannot switch to 50% of my benefit when I retire? Is there some kind of a “family maximum” that affects how much retirement benefits a married couple can receive? 

A. No, that’s not true. Your wife may begin her own reduced Social Security benefit and still qualify for an additional spouse benefit when you begin your benefit. However, a wife who retires early never receives the full 50 percent. Her own early retirement must be taken into consideration. A very simple example may help. Assume your wife’s full retirement age benefit is $400 and your full-retirement age benefit is $1,400. If she begins her benefit at age 62, her early retirement reduction will reduce her benefit to approximately $300. Assuming she is full retirement age when you retire, her $300 monthly payment will increase by $300 — the difference between her full benefit ($400) and half of your full benefit ($700). Her new monthly payment would be $600.

The family maximum does not affect the amount of benefits that can be paid to a married couple when both have been in the work force. Each receives his or her own benefit. There is a family maximum on the amount of benefits that can be paid on a single earnings record. For example, the maximum would be reached if a deceased wage earner left a widow and two dependent children.

Q. When I receive my annual Social Security Statement showing the benefit I am eligible for at various ages, does this amount include my wife’s spousal benefit? If not, how can I determine what it is? And what impact does her age have on the benefit? Since she is 3 years younger than me, I’m assuming her spousal benefit will not begin until she reaches eligibility age.

A. A maximum Social Security spouse benefit is 50 percent of your full-retirement-age benefit. The extra 50 percent is not included in the benefit estimate shown on your Social Security Statement. The spouse benefit is paid in addition to the wage earner’s benefit.

A wife is eligible for a spouse benefit as early as age 62, but if the benefit begins before her full retirement age, it must be reduced for months of early retirement. If your wife’s full retirement age is 66, her spouse benefit at age 62 would be 35 percent of your full benefit. Regardless of the age at which she begins a spouse benefit, if she is full retirement age or more before being widowed, your wife’s monthly benefit would rise to the full benefit you would receive if still alive.

Q. I am nearing retirement age. I have to continue to work due to financial issues but am wondering if I could claim Social Security through my deceased, former husband now and then when I retire, claim benefits on my own record. I was married for 11 years and have never remarried.

A. As a surviving divorced spouse (widow), you have the choice of which benefit to begin first — your own Social Security benefit or your widow’s benefit. You can begin a reduced widow’s benefit as early as age 60 (age 50 if you are disabled) and, if it is more advantageous for you to do so, switch to unreduced benefits on your own record at full retirement age or later. Your own benefit will reach its maximum at age 70.

You may begin benefits while continuing to work, but Social Security beneficiaries who have not yet reached their full retirement age are subject to an annual earnings limitation. In 2026, the limitation is $24,480. The Social Security Administration will withhold $1 in benefits for each $2 of excess earnings.

Before applying for any benefit, you will want to contact the Social Security Administration and obtain up-to-date estimates of the benefits payable on your own and your former husband’s earnings record. Ask for these estimates at your current age, full retirement age and age 70. That information will help you make the decision that is in your long-term best interest.

Q. I am 64 and my Social Security benefit at age 66 will be $2,240. My husband will receive a smaller retirement benefit when he reaches age 66 of only about $500. He plans to apply for benefits on his own record at age 66. Will he be able to receive a higher benefit when I apply for retirement benefits when I reach age 66?

A. Yes. When you begin receiving Social Security benefits at age 66, as you plan, he will be eligible for an additional amount on your Social Security record that would provide him with a total monthly benefit that would be equal to half of your own benefit.

However, we wonder why your husband’s benefit on his own record is so low. If it is because he spent most of his life in employment that wasn’t covered by Social Security (such as working for federal, state or local government), you should know that the Government Pension Offset (GPO) was repealed when the Social Security Fairness Act was signed into law on January 5, 2025. If his low benefit amount was the result of the application of the GPO, he may be entitled to a higher benefit amount. He should contact the Social Security Administration for help determining the correct benefit.

Q. I would like to collect Social Security. I’m 63 but I am told I can only earn $24,480/yr. Why do they have the right to tell me how much I can earn? I don’t want any more than I am entitled to. The money in there is mine.

A. Social Security is intended to replace earnings lost by retirement, disability, or death. The annual Social Security earnings limitation is a measure to determine if an applicant for retirement benefits has actually retired. For 2026, if you are under full retirement age (67 for those born in 1960 or later) for the entire year, the earnings limit is $24,480 per year.

If you earn more than that, Social Security temporarily withholds $1 for every $2 in earnings above the limit. The money is not “lost”; once you reach full retirement age, your monthly benefit will be increased permanently to account for the months in which benefits were withheld.

If 2026 is the year you reach full retirement age, the limit is much higher — $65,160 — and only earnings before the month of your birthday count, with $1 withheld for every $3 over.

Q. Why is there a two-year waiting period before one is available for Medicare after being approved for disability benefits? It only seems logical that one who is disabled might be in need of medical assistance! I cannot understand the logic of this provision in the law. Can you explain it to me? I have come to the conclusion that our government expects disabled citizens to die within that waiting period and therefore have no need of benefits. Why doesn’t our government care for the “disabled” Americans?

A. Medicare became law in 1965 to provide coverage to persons 65 years of age or older. In 1973, Congress extended Medicare coverage to Social Security Disability Insurance beneficiaries but only after two years of benefit receipt. The National Committee has endorsed numerous bills that have been introduced in the intervening years to shorten the waiting period for Medicare coverage to disability beneficiaries. None of these bills has yet to receive the support needed to become law.

Q. Have there been any changes regarding Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and investing? Is it still not considered earned income?

A. There has been no change in the definition of earnings for recipients of Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. Earnings are income received from employment or self-employment. Profits on investments are not earnings for earnings limitation purposes or as a measure of whether or not a disabled individual has regained the ability to perform substantial gainful activity.

Q. Is a person receiving Social Security disability also entitled to receive half of the husband’s Social Security retirement? Do a disabled husband and wife have to pay federal or state tax?

A. A wife receives whichever is greater — her own Social Security or half of her husband’s Social Security benefit (reduced if begun before full retirement age). Both benefits are not payable.

There is no provision in Federal tax law exempting Social Security disability benefits from taxation. You will pay tax on your Social Security benefits, based on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules. If you file a joint return, and you and your spouse have a combined income that is between $32,000 and $44,000, up to 50% of your benefits may be taxable. If your combined income is more than $44,000, up to 85% of your benefits may be taxable. If you are married and file a separate tax return, you probably will pay taxes on your benefits.

Call the Internal Revenue Service at 1-800-829-3676 for a definitive answer to tax questions. State law determines how benefits are taxed by the state.

Q. I am a teacher in Texas and am ready to retire. I have the option of my husband receiving my full benefit or half of my benefit if I should die. How would this affect his Social Security benefits when he is eligible? Would you advise this? He does not have this type of pension, and I don’t want our kids to be burdened when they need to take care of us.

A. A survivor public annuity never affects a surviving spouse’s right to his or her own Social Security retirement benefit. The Social Security Act’s anti-windfall provisions were repealed in January, 2025, so your pension will not affect either your benefits or your husbands’.

Q.  I called a local Social Security office yesterday to make an appointment for my wife and me to file for benefits. We have both reached full retirement age. The agent asked me when I wanted to start benefits. I didn’t know we had a choice. What answer should I give when we go to file?

A. You have the right to specify the exact month you want your Social Security benefits to begin. Benefits begun before full retirement age are reduced for each month of early retirement. Benefits begun after full retirement age are increased for each month that a benefit is deferred. This has always been a retiree’s option.

Q.  I am divorced and collecting Social Security. What are the eligibility requirements for my new wife if I get remarried?

A. After one year of marriage, your wife would be eligible for a Social Security spouse benefit based on your Social Security earnings record, assuming she had reached retirement age. If your wife also were eligible for her own Social Security benefit, she would receive whichever is the greater amount — her benefit or a spouse benefit. The one-year marriage requirement for a spouse benefit is waived if, by remarriage, your wife forfeited a divorced spouse benefit based on a prior husband’s Social Security earnings record. This is equally true for husband or wife.