Here's Why Your Social Security Spousal Benefit May Be Smaller Than Expected

Generally speaking, people earn Social Security benefits in retirement by working long enough and paying taxes on their wages. But there's way to get Social Security even if you never worked. Social Security pays spousal benefits to older Americans, and you can qualify based on a current or former spouse's record. You may also want to file for Social Security spousal benefits if your spouse earned a lot more money than you, as your spousal benefit may be more generous than the benefit you get based on you ...