Social Security

Total Social Security payments include:

• Your Social Security benefit.
• Your spouse’s Social Security benefit.
• Spouse benefit, if available.
• Survivor benefit, if available.

Social Security is computed from personal data in your profile.

Charts

One chart is shown.

Illustrated is a two-earner couple. Ralph is male and two years older. He maxes out on social security. Margaret is female and hence lives two years longer than Ralph. Her work history was such that she opts for the spousal benefit. Ralph retires at age 64 and commences social security three years later at 67, his full retirement age. Margaret waits two more years before taking the spousal benefit at 67, her FRA. On Ralph’s death, she gets four years of survivor benefits.