What Are Social Security Benefits? Social Security Benefits for a Non Working Spouse?
Social Security Benefits for a Non Working Spouse: Retirement from one’s job in America is as hard as the way one gets into it. This is because of the fact that in America, workers on their retirement are not given benefits like a pension.
Moreover, costs of living are making retirement more expensive than ever, and student loans and other forms of debt are making it harder to save.
However, one should not be worry of all this. Millions of American workers take resort in a very benevolent and genuine Social Security benefits.
This benefits make them meet their ends during their senior years. On average, a retiree is expected to receive a minimum of $ 1,500 per month in benefits.
Even more than this amount can be expected by a retiree, stated by the Social Security Administration. Nevertheless, everything does not come for free. To avail these benefits post-Retirement period, one has to pay taxes while working for at least 10 years.
Thankfully, however, there are a few ways through which one can avail these benefits even if s/he never worked even a single day in his/her life. Generally, there are three ways:
Social Security Spousal benefits | Social Security Benefits for a Non Working Spouse
A married couple, either of whom works or worked is hopefully stable in their life time. If your working spouse is in the list of tax payroll, definitely you can collect social security benefits on your spouse behalf based on his or her work record.
Even if you have not worked a single day of your life, you are eligible to claim this benefit. Under this category called Spousal benefits, one can collect up to 50% of the amount your spouse is granted to receive post-full retirement age (FRA).
The good part of this particular benefit is that even after having been entitled to 50% of your spouse benefit, your spouse benefits will remain the same and not a single penny will be deducted from his or her benefits.
How To qualify for spousal benefits |
To qualify for spousal benefits, you must be married and at least 62 years old.
The highest you can receive is 50% of your spouse’s full benefit amount
and if you claim before your own FRA ie., prior to attaining 62 years of age, you’ll receive a reduced amount each month.
Social Security Divorce benefits
Divorce benefits has many characteristics similar to Spousal benefit. Their difference lies only in being divorced.
In other words, if you were married once upon in time and presently divorced or are no longer married, then you can claim the benefit.
Your marriage period must have been 10 years minimum, and currently you cannot be married for availing this benefit.
You cannot divorce your spouse just for the sake of getting entitlement from Divorce benefit. It has to be on a genuine ground.
Also, you cannot claim to collect the benefit until and unless your divorced spouse has started claiming the benefit.
But, one exception is given- if you have been divorced for more than two years down the line, then you can claim it. The maximum benefit one can claim through Spousal benefit is 50% of the amount your ex-spouse can receive at his or her Full Retirement Age.
Moreover, just as Spousal benefits so do the Divorce benefits whereby you can claim your ex-spouse’s benefits depending on his/her work record and tax payment, and that will not affect his/her benefits either.
Even the divorced spouse remarries that will not also be a problem to getting the benefits. It will go the same way as it is, be it remarried or un-remarried.
Social Security Survivors benefits
Survivors benefits are given to both dependent and the living spouse. Dependent could be anyone among the family members.
In other words, if one is financially dependent of someone who has Social Security entitlements, then he/she may qualify for survivors benefits.
However, Survivor benefits are essentially meant for widows and widowers after a spouse passes away. Besides them, dependents like parents, children, divorced spouses and other family members are eligible for this entitlement.
There are some parameters on which you will be assessed for availing of this entitlement. Those parameters include your age, the age of the person who passed away, and how many other family members are claiming this particular benefit.
How much you can receive in survivors benefits depends on several factors, including your age, the age of the person who passed away, and how many other family members are claiming survivors benefits.
If you’re a widow or widower, and your spouse was receiving Social Security benefits, you’re categorically eligible to claim his or her entire benefit amount in survivors benefits as long as you’ve reached your FRA.
Keep in Mind for Social Security | Social Security Benefits for a Non Working Spouse
If you are a non-citizen and go to the US for a work visa, one thing you should do is to complete all the documentations in the country.
This will ease your future very well. This will accrue to you many benefits which you have never ever imagined. As soon as you get enrolled and work in the U,S it implies that you have started legally paying into Socially Security and at the same time qualify for benefits under the same terms as bonafide citizens.
However, in no circumstance will you be awarded with these benefits despite you paying taxes if not being a documented worker. Undocumented people suffer these consequences for failing to get documented in the initial stage of work. You cannot claim or sue Social Security Administration for not giving you these benefits because you are undocumented.
Also, it’s important to understand exactly how these benefits work and to know when you’re entitled to them. Doing this would be very beneficial to you because the United States has many benefits to offer you provided you stay legally and pay taxes punctually.
The rest will be the responsibility of the Social Security Administration of the US Government to fill your coffer after Full Retirement Age. Make sure you know the rules if you never worked or if your current or former spouse earned more than you did. In both situations, claiming on your spouse’s work record could provide you with more money as a retiree.
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