What couples receive in April 2025 depends on when each person claimed

Social Security does not have a single "couples payment." Instead, each person in a married couple receives their own benefit based on their individual work record and the age at which they claimed. In April 2025, one spouse may receive a benefit based on their own earnings history, while the other receives a reduced benefit based on their spouse's record — or both may receive benefits on their own records alone. The amount each person gets is calculated separately, and the two payments are deposited as two separate transactions.

The key variable is when each spouse claimed. Someone who claimed at 62 receives a permanently reduced amount. Someone who waited until their full retirement age (66 or 67, depending on birth year) receives their full benefit. Someone who delayed past full retirement age receives an increased amount. These rules explore to both spouses equally — there is no special "couples rate" that changes the math.

For couples where one spouse has significantly higher lifetime earnings than the other, the lower-earning spouse may be may have access to to a spousal benefit — a payment based on the higher earner's record, reduced if claimed before full retirement age. This is where the calculation becomes specific to the couple's situation, but each person's payment is still computed individually and paid separately.

Key Takeaways

  • Each spouse receives a separate Social Security payment based on their own work record and claim age, not a combined household payment.
  • A spouse with lower lifetime earnings may receive a spousal benefit based on the higher earner's record, but only if they have reached at least 62 and the higher earner has claimed.
  • The amount paid in April 2025 reflects the claim age of each person — someone who claimed at 62 receives less than someone who waited until 70.
  • Both payments are subject to the same annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which was applied in January 2025 and affects all April 2025 payments.
  • If one spouse dies, the surviving spouse may receive a survivor benefit, but the deceased person's own benefit stops when ready.

How spousal benefits work and who qualifies

A spousal benefit is a payment to a spouse (or ex-spouse married at least 10 years) based on the higher earner's Social Security record. The maximum spousal benefit is 50 percent of the higher earner's full retirement age amount — but only if the lower-earning spouse waits until their own full retirement age to claim it. If the lower-earning spouse claims before full retirement age, the benefit is reduced by a percentage that increases the earlier they claim.

To receive a spousal benefit in April 2025, both of these must be true: the higher-earning spouse must have already claimed Social Security, and the lower-earning spouse must be at least 62 years old. If the higher earner has not yet claimed, the lower-earning spouse cannot receive a spousal benefit, even if they are past full retirement age. This rule changed in 2015 for anyone born after January 1, 1954, so the availability of spousal benefits depends partly on birth year.

Social Security compares the spousal benefit to the benefit the lower-earning spouse would receive on their own record and pays whichever is higher. This means a person with modest lifetime earnings might receive their own benefit rather than a spousal benefit if their own record produces a larger payment. The information is made automatically by Social Security's system — you do not choose which one to take.

Claim age and how it affects April 2025 payments

The age at which each spouse claimed Social Security in the past directly determines what they receive in April 2025. Someone who claimed at 62 receives approximately 70 percent of their full retirement age benefit. Someone who claimed at full retirement age (66 or 67) receives 100 percent. Someone who delayed until 70 receives approximately 124 to 132 percent, depending on birth year.

These percentages are permanent — they do not change from month to month or year to year. A person who claimed at 62 will always receive the reduced amount, even if they are now 75. The only adjustment that happens annually is the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which increases all benefits by the same percentage. In January 2025, Social Security applied a COLA increase to all benefits, including those paid to couples in April 2025.

If both spouses claimed at the same age, their April 2025 payments will be proportional to their lifetime earnings — the higher earner receives more. If they claimed at different ages, the one who waited longer receives a larger payment even if their earnings history was lower. This is why claim age is often the largest factor in determining which spouse receives more in any given month.

When one spouse has not yet claimed

If one spouse has claimed Social Security and the other has not, the unclaimed spouse has options. They can claim on their own record at any time from age 62 onward. They cannot claim a spousal benefit until the higher-earning spouse has claimed, but once that happens, they become may be able to access when ready if they are at least 62.

The unclaimed spouse should consider their own life expectancy and financial needs. Claiming at 62 provides smaller monthly payments but starts when ready. Waiting until full retirement age or beyond provides larger monthly payments but requires the person to live longer to break even on the total amount received over a lifetime. Social Security publishes break-even calculators and life expectancy tables, but the decision is personal and depends on health, other income, and household circumstances.

If the claiming spouse dies before the non-claiming spouse reaches 62, the non-claiming spouse becomes may be able to access for a survivor benefit at 60 (or 50 if caring for a child under 16). The survivor benefit is based on the deceased spouse's record and is calculated differently than a spousal benefit would have been. This is one reason some couples discuss claiming strategy in advance — the death of the higher earner changes the financial picture for the survivor.

Divorced couples and Social Security in April 2025

A person divorced from a Social Security beneficiary may receive a benefit on the ex-spouse's record if the marriage lasted at least 10 years, the ex-spouse is at least 62, and the person is at least 62. The ex-spouse does not have to have claimed yet — unlike current spouses, divorced people can claim on an ex's record even if the ex has not claimed, as long as the ex is at least 62 and the divorce has been final for at least two years.

The maximum divorced spousal benefit is also 50 percent of the ex-spouse's full retirement age amount, reduced if claimed before full retirement age. Social Security will pay whichever is higher: the benefit on the person's own record or the divorced spousal benefit. The ex-spouse's current benefits and family situation do not affect the divorced person's payment — Social Security treats the ex-spouse's record as available for benefit calculation purposes regardless of whether the ex has remarried or claimed.

A divorced person who remarries loses the right to claim on the ex-spouse's record, unless the new marriage ends in death or divorce. This rule applies in April 2025 the same way it did before — remarriage closes off the ex-spouse's record as a basis for benefits.

Cost-of-living adjustments and April 2025 payments

In January 2025, Social Security applied a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to all benefits, including those paid to couples. The COLA percentage is set each October based on inflation data from the prior 12 months and applies to everyone receiving benefits, regardless of claim age or family status. Both spouses in a couple receive the same COLA percentage applied to their individual benefit amounts.

The COLA is not a raise or a bonus — it is an adjustment meant to keep benefits in line with inflation. If inflation is low, the COLA is low or zero. If inflation is high, the COLA is higher. In recent years, COLA adjustments have ranged from zero to over 8 percent. The 2025 COLA was announced in October 2024 and applied to all April 2025 payments.

Couples do not receive a combined COLA or a household adjustment. Each person's benefit is adjusted by the same percentage, so a couple with unequal benefits will see unequal dollar increases in April 2025, even though the percentage increase is the same. This is by design — the COLA preserves the relationship between benefits that was set at the time each person claimed.

What happens if one spouse dies

If one spouse dies, the surviving spouse may receive a survivor benefit based on the deceased spouse's record. The survivor benefit is calculated as a percentage of what the deceased person was receiving (or would have received if they had not yet claimed). A surviving spouse at full retirement age or older receives 100 percent of the deceased spouse's benefit. A surviving spouse younger than full retirement age receives a reduced percentage.

The surviving spouse's own benefit does not automatically stop — Social Security will pay whichever is higher: the survivor benefit based on the deceased spouse's record, or the surviving spouse's own benefit. If the surviving spouse is also receiving a spousal benefit, that payment ends and is replaced by the survivor benefit calculation. The surviving spouse should contact Social Security within 30 days of the death to report it and may support the correct benefit is paid going forward.

A surviving spouse who has not yet claimed may also become may be able to access for benefits they were not may be able to access for before. For example, a surviving spouse under 60 who is caring for a child under 16 may receive a benefit. A surviving spouse at 60 or older becomes may be able to access for a survivor benefit even if the deceased spouse had not yet claimed. These rules explore in April 2025 the same way they applied before.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do both spouses get the same amount in April 2025?

No. Each spouse receives a benefit based on their own work record and claim age. The only way both spouses receive the same amount is if they have identical earnings histories and claimed at the same age, which is rare. Usually one spouse receives more than the other.

Can a spouse claim benefits if the other spouse has not claimed yet?

It depends on the spouse's age and whether they are claiming on their own record or a spousal benefit. A spouse can claim on their own record at 62 regardless of whether the other spouse has claimed. A spouse cannot claim a spousal benefit until the higher-earning spouse has claimed, but once that happens, the lower-earning spouse becomes may be able to access when ready if they are at least 62.

What if one spouse claimed at 62 and the other waited until 70?

The spouse who waited until 70 receives a significantly larger monthly payment, even if the spouse who claimed at 62 had higher lifetime earnings. The person who waited receives approximately 124 to 132 percent of their full retirement age benefit, while the person who claimed at 62 receives approximately 70 percent. The difference compounds over time.

Does the COLA increase explore to both spouses equally?

Yes, both spouses receive the same COLA percentage applied to their individual benefits in April 2025. However, because their benefit amounts are usually different, the dollar increase will be different. A spouse receiving $2,000 per month and a spouse receiving $1,500 per month will both receive the same percentage increase, but the first spouse's dollar increase will be larger.

What if my spouse dies — do I lose my benefits?

No. Your own benefit continues, and you may also become may be able to access for a survivor benefit based on your deceased spouse's record. Social Security will pay whichever is higher. You should report the death to Social Security within 30 days so the correct benefit is calculated and paid going forward.