Dear Liz: I have a friend who has a selfish, controlling husband. When talking with her recently, she told me she got only $300 a month from Social Security based on her work history while her husband gets $1,800. I told her she should be getting $900, half of his monthly amount, as a spousal benefit. I guess he thought if she got more it would reduce his check. I told her the $900 would be in addition to the $1,800 he gets.
She has been collecting her smaller benefit for seven or eight years. Does she have any recourse? I doubt he would take her to the Social Security office but maybe her daughter would.
Answer: It sounds like the husband’s greed has cost this household tens of thousands of dollars in lost benefits.
Spousal benefits (and divorced spousal benefits) do not reduce the primary worker’s check. This benefit, as you correctly told your friend, is available in addition to what her husband gets. Spousal and divorced spousal benefits can be up to half of the primary worker’s benefit. The amount that spouses and divorced spouses get is reduced if they start benefits before their own full retirement ages.
Your friend can’t get back the years of benefits she missed out on, but she should ask the Social Security Administration to switch her to the larger benefit. She can contact the administration at 1-800-772-1213.
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Hi liz my wife recently retired. From full
Time work at age 62, and and will collect
SS. But has decided to still work full time
i know she will collect less if she makes
More then SS allows. Per month. If she eventully goes back to not working at all
Will she go back to collecting the orginal amount before she began work. Ty
Here’s your answer: http://asklizweston.com/qa-social-security-lets-un-retire-avoid-benefit-hit/