As more Americans weigh retirement choices in a tight budget year, one rule keeps ...

Unfortunately, if you apply for your spousal benefit when you reach full retirement age, your own benefit will no longer accrue delayed filing credits. While that’s a cut-and-dried answer, I’ll ...

Spousal benefits are available to current spouses and some ex-spouses of qualifying workers. Claiming early can reduce your spousal benefit by up to 35%. You'll only get a spousal benefit if it's ...

I was born in 1957 and so was my ex-husband. He remarried, but I didn’t. Our full retirement age (FRA) is 66.5, but he started collecting Social Security at 65.5, one year early. For my own Social ...

A small group of people can still take advantage of a Social Security rule that will soon be phased out. The Social Security provision is called filing a restricted application to receive spousal ...

Dear Rusty: I've recently started reading your column on Social Security and am learning a lot! My particular question is this: I was born in November 1953 so my full retirement age is 66, which is ...

It's not possible to claim spousal Social Security benefits unless the worker is already claiming. Your age at sign-up affects the size of your spousal benefits. Getting all your documentation in ...

Spouses and ex-spouses generally must meet a length-of-marriage requirement before they become eligible for Social Security. Your maximum spousal benefit is half your partner's benefit at their full ...

Millions of Americans rely on Social Security retirement benefits to provide a financial safety net in their golden years, making it one of the country's most important social programs. It's also a ...