Retirement Social Security

The One Social Security Mistake That Could Cost Your Spouse for Years

There's one particular mistake that's especially important to avoid.

By Christy Rakoczy Bieber , Edited by Laura Hohenstein

Updated May 15, 2026

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When you're making a retirement plan, deciding when to claim Social Security can feel complicated. You're allowed to claim your benefits any time between 62 and 70, but benefits vary based on when you start them.

Unfortunately, things become even more complex when you're married because your claiming decision affects your spouse's financial situation. In particular, there's one critical Social Security mistake that could cost your spouse for many years if you make the error.

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The costly Social Security mistake for your spouse

One of the biggest Social Security mistakes couples make is not considering the impact their early benefits claim has on their spouse.

Most people know that early filing penalties reduce benefits a small amount for each month that you claim before your full retirement age. Penalties add up to a 6.7% annual cut for the first three years and another 5% cut for prior years. For late claimers, delayed retirement credits increase benefits by a small percentage each month after FRA, which adds up to an 8% annual increase.

Unfortunately, what many people don't know is that their early claim could put their spouse at risk of financial hardship. That's because if the higher-earning spouse claimed retirement benefits early, this would shrink survivor benefits and possibly leave the remaining spouse in a tight spot.

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An early Social Security claim could be a huge mistake

When one spouse dies, the other either keeps their own retirement benefit or collects survivor benefits. This is true as long as the couple was married for at least nine months and the surviving spouse is at least 60, or 50 to 59 if disabled (or raising a child of the person who died).

Sometimes, survivor benefits are much bigger than the surviving spouse's own benefits. For example, if you were a stay-at-home spouse or if you didn't earn a ton of money during your career, your survivor benefits could, theoretically, be significantly more than your retirement benefits.

Unfortunately, if your spouse claims their retirement benefits early, they'll end up shrinking your survivor benefits. You'll pay the consequences of this decision for the rest of your life if they pass away before you.

How does an early claim affect survivor benefits?

Multiple factors determine how much a surviving widow(er) collects in survivor benefits.

Let's say you were a lower-earning wife and your husband died. Here's how much your survivor benefits could be:

If your husband hasn't yet claimed benefits: You're entitled to up to 100% of your husband's standard benefit
If your husband claimed benefits early: Your survivor benefits are based on the reduced benefit your husband was collecting after early filing penalties were applied.
If your husband made a delayed benefits claim: Your survivor benefits are based on the higher amount your husband was collecting due to earning delayed filing credits.

It's also worth noting that if you end up claiming your survivor benefits before your own full retirement age, you'll also reduce the amount you collect.

For example, if you're entitled to up to 100% of your spouse's standard benefit, you'd only get 100% if you claimed at your FRA. If you claimed after 60 but before your FRA, you'd collect between 71% and 99% of your husband's standard benefit.

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Smaller survivor benefits could be a big problem

The impact of shrinking survivor benefits is bigger than you think. That's because the death of a spouse could result in around a 33% to 50% reduction in monthly Social Security income. Here's how this happens:

Your spouse's Social Security benefit is $1,600. Yours is $800. Your spouse dies. You get $1,600 in survivor benefits, but your own $800 benefit stops. Household income drops from $2,400 to $1,600.
You and your spouse were both receiving $1,600. You keep one of those $1,600 benefits, but the other stops. Income drops 50%.

Since your spouse's death immediately makes their benefits stop, you need your survivor benefit to be as large as possible to limit the household income you lose.

How do you avoid this huge Social Security mistake?

The best way to avoid this Social Security mistake is to coordinate with your spouse. Make sure you understand the impact of an early claim on survivor benefits and, whenever possible, consider having the higher earner put off claiming Social Security as long as possible.

One very common claiming strategy involves:

The lower earner claims benefits early.
The higher earner waits and grows their benefits as long as possible
Survivor benefits also increase
The lower earner switches to spousal benefits when the higher earner eventually claims

This could maximize both the combined lifetime benefits and the benefits after the death of one partner.

Bottom line

According to a survey by the National Bureau of Economic Research, 23% of respondents said claiming Social Security too early was a regret.

Making an informed decision about Social Security is key to a stress-free retirement. So take the time to understand how your Social Security claim affects your own income and your spouse's income to make the best decision for you both.

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