Social Security · Spousal & Ex-Spousal

When should we both claim Social Security?

Two claims, one decision. For most couples, one number matters more than any break-even calculation.

Kwame Kuadey

Adjunct Professor of Finance, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School · Author, The Social Security Playbook

Why couples cannot decide separately

Two people, two claims — but they are not independent decisions. One spouse’s claiming age sets the floor for what the other lives on after the first death. Running two separate break-even calculations misses the single most consequential number in the whole decision.

The survivor benefit is the real stake

When one spouse dies, the survivor keeps the larger of the two benefits — not both. The smaller one stops.

This is why the standard “wait until 70” advice is strongest for married couples. It is not really about the earner’s own longevity — it is longevity insurance for whoever is left.

The strategy that works for most couples

For couples with meaningfully different earnings records, one pattern works more often than any other:

• The lower earner claims earlier — bringing income in the door and covering expenses.
• The higher earner delays as long as practical, ideally to 70 — maximizing both the monthly check and the survivor benefit.

This is not universal. If the higher earner is in poor health and the lower earner is not, the math can reverse. But if you are looking for a default to reason from, this is it.

The 50% spousal rule

A spouse can receive up to 50% of the other spouse’s full retirement age benefit if that is more than their own. Two things to know:

• The 50% maximum is reached at your full retirement age. Claiming earlier permanently reduces it.
• There are no delayed credits on a spousal benefit. Waiting past full retirement age to claim a spousal benefit gains nothing.
• Your spouse generally must have filed before you can claim a spousal benefit.

Deemed filing: the trap

Under current rules, when you file you are deemed to be filing for everything you are eligible for at once. You cannot take a spousal benefit now and switch to your own larger benefit at 70.

Older strategies like “restricted application” were eliminated for people born on or after January 2, 1954 — SSA’s exact cutoff. If you read about them in an older article, they no longer apply to you.

What to do next

1. Both of you: pull your benefit estimates at 62, full retirement age, and 70 from ssa.gov/myaccount.
2. Identify which of you is the higher earner. That is the survivor number.
3. Ask what the survivor would live on under each scenario — not just what you would collect together.
4. Factor in both health histories, not just one.