Last Updated: March 30, 2026

Here are some items to consider when it comes to claiming Social Security retirement benefits as a woman. You can use the Social Security Administration’s benefits calculator to help you run the numbers.

Single Women

Review your work history and confirm that you have enough credits to claim Social Security benefits. Consider other sources of retirement income, including your 401(k)s, IRAs and Health Savings Accounts. Pay attention to your tax situation as well. 

In some cases, if you have a traditional retirement account, it can make sense to delay taking Social Security benefits until age 70 and instead draw down your traditional account to reduce the amount of your required minimum distributions later on.¹ 

On the other hand, if you know you’ll need Social Security benefits to meet your retirement goals, taking them early might make sense when combined with other retirement income sources. Carefully consider your circumstances as you decide when to take Social Security.

Married Women²

Married women are eligible for their own earned benefits or up to 50% of their spouse’s Social Security benefit—whichever is greater. How much you actually receive is based on your spouse’s full retirement age and earnings, as well as whether you’re at your full retirement age when you claim benefits. 

For example, if your spouse’s full retirement age is 66, your spousal benefit will be based on what their benefit would be at full retirement age. If your full retirement age is 67, and you wait until then to claim benefits, you would receive 50% of your spouse’s benefit. However, if you claim benefits early at age 62, you would only get 32.5% of your spouse’s benefit amount.

Keep in mind that the Social Security Administration will also look at your own earnings history. If your benefit would come out to a higher number than claiming a spousal benefit, that’s what you get. For women who might not have worked enough during their lives to earn enough Social Security credits, or whose time out of the workforce or part-time work resulted in a much lower income, claiming spousal benefits might make sense. Run the numbers to see how to get the best benefit and coordinate your benefits with your spouse’s situation and sources of retirement income. 

Finally, it’s important to understand the impact of a government pension on spousal benefits. If you’re a public employee that receives a pension that doesn’t involve Social Security coverage, your spousal benefits can be reduced. 

Divorced Women³

Interestingly, divorced women can also claim spousal benefits based on a former spouse’s income. This won’t reduce the former spouse’s benefit. You can file for spousal benefits based on your ex-spouse’s earnings if you meet the following criteria:

• You were married for at least 10 years

• You aren’t currently married

You can claim benefits starting at age 62 as long as your ex-spouse is eligible for benefits. Your ex doesn’t even need to be claiming their own benefits for you to make a claim. However, you must be divorced for at least two years to claim benefits before your ex does.

If you have more than one former spouse that you were married to for at least 10 years, you can choose which ex-spouse’s earnings to consider for spousal benefits. Compare your spousal benefit to your own benefit to determine which is best for you.

It’s also possible to claim survivor benefits if your ex-spouse dies and you haven’t remarried.

Widowed Women⁴

You can receive a survivor benefit if you’re at least 60 (or at least 50, if you’re disabled) and your spouse dies. In general, a widow can receive up to 100% of the spousal benefit. If you’re under full retirement age, though, you might not receive the entire spousal benefit if you file as a widow. You can also file for the benefit if your spouse died prior to reaching retirement age. However, you’ll get a bigger benefit based on their work history if you wait until your own full retirement age before applying.

If your spouse dies after you began receiving your spousal benefit, you need to let the Social Security Administration know so they can convert your spousal benefit to a survivor’s benefit. If you were receiving 50% of your spouse’s benefit, and then your spouse dies, you can then bump that up to 100% of your spouse’s benefit.

However, it’s still important to prepare for your spouse’s passing. If your spouse was receiving $2,000 per month and you were receiving a spousal benefit of $1,000, your total benefit, together, was $3,000. Now that your spouse has passed, your total benefit is $2,000. You will need to make up the difference in other ways.

Learn more in our class “Retirement Planning When a Spouse Dies.”

SOURCES:

1. “Delayed Retirement Credits.” Social Security Administration. https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/delayret.html. Accessed 16 December 2025.

2. “Benefits for Spouses.” Social Security Administration. www.ssa.gov/oact/quickcalc/spouse.html. Accessed 16 December 2025.

3. “The Retirement Prospects of Divorced Women.” Social Security Administration. https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v72n1/v72n1p11.html. Accessed 16 December 2025. 

4. “If You Are A Survivor.” Social Security Administration. https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/survivors/ifyou.html. Accessed 16 December 2025.