Social Security

As a woman, maximizing your Social Security benefits requires navigating specific challenges.

<h6 dir="ltr" style="text-align: right;">Last Updated: December 30, 2025</h6>
Social Security is likely your largest retirement asset as a woman. In fact, women represent a large percentage of retirees on Social Security benefits: 55.3% of beneficiaries 62 and older are women. In general, though, their benefits are about 20% less than the benefits men receive.1&nbsp;
On top of that, women generally live longer than men. Women who reached age 65 in 2019 were expected to live 21.5 years longer, while men who reached age 65 were only expected to live 18.9 years longer.2
Due to marriage and caretaking, women often spend less time in the workforce than men or have lower-paying jobs. The combination of women&rsquo;s longevity and lower long-term earnings mean that women have special considerations when it comes to retirement planning with Social Security.
This class will address some of the specific challenges women face when it comes to Social Security. You&rsquo;ll learn:
<ul>
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How Social Security works, including how Social Security benefits are calculated and when you can elect to receive benefits.
</li>
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Scenarios women may encounter when claiming Social Security, including how being single, married or divorced impacts your Social Security benefits.
</li>
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How Social Security works for public sector employees, including teachers.
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How Social Security benefits are taxed and what to expect.
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</ul>
<h4 dir="ltr">SOURCES</h4>
<ol>
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&ldquo;Social Security Is Important to Women.&rdquo; Social Security Administration, January 2021.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/factsheets/women-alt.pdf">https://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/factsheets/women-alt.pdf</a>. Accessed 16 December 2025.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Ilbd.
</li>
</ol>

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<h6 dir="ltr" style="text-align: right;">Last Updated: December 30, 2025</h6>
Social Security is an example of an annuity. In some ways, it can be thought of as longevity insurance. You receive income benefits for life, starting when you&rsquo;re eligible and apply for it. Your benefits are based on a formula used by the Social Security Administration and rely on your employment earnings over time.&nbsp;
Some women worry that changing their name at marriage will impact their Social Security benefits. The good news is that there is no cost for a new Social Security card that reflects your married name. Additionally, your earnings follow your Social Security number, not your name, so changing your name won&rsquo;t impact your benefits.1
<h2 dir="ltr">Qualifying for Social Security2</h2>
You need to accumulate at least 40 Social Security credits over your lifetime in order to qualify for Social Security.&nbsp;
Employees receive Social Security credits as they earn money and pay Social Security and Medicare taxes. You can earn up to four credits each year. As a result, you only need to max out for 10 years in order to qualify for Social Security.&nbsp;
The amount of earned wages you need to receive a Social Security credit changes over time, but for 2026, you earn one Social Security credit for every $1,890 in eligible earnings. So, in order to earn four Social Security credits for 2026, you need to make at least $7,560. As a result of this threshold, it&rsquo;s possible for part-time employees to earn Social Security credits and qualify for benefits later.
<h2 dir="ltr">When Can You Elect to Receive Benefits?</h2>
It&rsquo;s possible to elect Social Security benefits as early as age 62, but that&rsquo;s not always the best idea. At that age, your benefits would be 30% lower than if you waited until your full retirement age (or FRA) to claim your benefits.&nbsp;
Wondering what your FRA would be? It&rsquo;s all based on your birth year and month, but it&rsquo;ll be somewhere between age 66 and 67 (see the table below). According to the Social Security Administration, once you reach your full retirement age, you&rsquo;re finally entitled to 100% of your benefits, which is known as your primary insurance amount (PIA).&nbsp;
Deciding when to elect Social Security can significantly impact the amount of benefits you&rsquo;ll receive, and waiting until age 70 will earn you the maximum monthly Social Security benefits.3
Claiming Social Security early will reduce your monthly benefit compared to waiting until full retirement age. If you start collecting at 62, your benefit will be permanently reduced&mdash;by approximately 30% less&mdash;than if you wait until full retirement age.&nbsp;
Then, when you hit full retirement age, you can choose to delay your benefits even further for an even better benefit: delaying benefits from your FRA up until age 70 will increase your monthly benefits by as much as 8% each year. That means you can amass a potential increase of 24% to 32%, which can be a substantial amount. However, it&rsquo;s important to keep in mind that there is no additional increase in benefits past age 70. The decision to claim early comes down to choosing a lower monthly benefit over a longer period of time or a larger monthly benefit for fewer years.4&nbsp;
To recap, if you were to opt to receive benefits at 62, you would receive 70% of your primary insurance amount. If you wait until your full retirement age (FRA) of 67, you will receive 100% of your PIA. For every additional year up to age 70, you will receive an additional 8%, totaling up to 124% of your original PIA.4 Note that this applies to your own benefits that you&rsquo;ve worked for, not spousal or survivor benefits, which come with different rules.&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s assume your initial PIA is $2,500 at full retirement age. Below is an example of how your benefits can increase or decrease based on election age.
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/CRWkhZkR0WlnFuOtNEyw" alt="txt" width="362" height="292">
<h2 dir="ltr">How Social Security Benefits are Calculated&nbsp;</h2>
Your monthly Social Security benefit isn&rsquo;t based on the Social Security credits you earn over time. If you accumulate more than 40 credits, you won&rsquo;t see a higher benefit. Instead, your monthly Social Security payment is based on your income over time.5,6
To calculate benefits, the Social Security Administration takes your highest 35 years of earnings. However, due to inflation, your benefits are based on what is called &ldquo;average indexed monthly earnings.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Because Social Security benefits are calculated based on your income, women have greater challenges when it comes to receiving benefits. In general, they end up with 20% lower Social Security benefits than men, in part because women are more likely to take time out of the workforce, work part-time around caregiving duties and have lower-wage jobs.
Women are often expected to provide caregiving duties&mdash;at the expense of their earning power&mdash;and this may reduce Social Security benefits. Various studies indicate that:
<ul>
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A woman with one child earns, on average, 28% less over her career compared to a woman who doesn&rsquo;t have children.6 This disparity is often attributed to time out of the workforce. Men do not earn less after having children.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Women are more likely than men to leave the workforce early to care for an aging parent, potentially resulting in about $142,000 in lost wages.7
</li>
</ul>
<h2 dir="ltr">Social Security Disability Benefits</h2>
Social Security also offers disability benefits to those who aren&rsquo;t at retirement age but can no longer work.8 The credit requirement for Social Security disability benefits is lower and based on your age and how many credits you earned in the years immediately prior to the beginning of your disability:
<ul>
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Before age 24: You need to have earned six Social Security credits in the three years prior to becoming disabled.
</li>
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Age 24 to 31: Credits needed are based on working half the time from age 21 until your disability began. For example, if you become disabled at age 29, you would need four years&rsquo; worth of employment (half of eight), or 16 credits.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Age 31+: You normally need to accumulate at least 20 credits in the previous 10 years before the beginning of the disability.
</li>
</ul>
Once again, the highest-earning years, based on indexed earnings, are used to calculate your benefit.
<h2 dir="ltr">What happens if you go back to work during retirement?&nbsp;</h2>
It&rsquo;s possible to collect Social Security benefits even while you work. However, you might end up with reduced benefits, based on how much money you make during the year.
The Social Security Administration has a limit, based on whether you&rsquo;re under full retirement age or whether you&rsquo;ve reached full retirement age.&nbsp;
For 2026, if you are under your full retirement age, the annual limit to receive your full benefit payment while working is $24,480. If you make more than that amount of money, your monthly benefit will be reduced by $1 for every $2 above the threshold. On the other hand, if you will reach full retirement age in 2026 and you earn more than $65,160 prior to the month when you reach full retirement age, you will see a benefit reduction of $1 for every $3 over the limit.
The good news is that once you reach full retirement age, you can receive your Social Security benefits no matter how much you make.
When considering how long to work and when to start taking benefits, think about the potential for reductions in your benefits. While you work, you will continue to pay Social Security taxes, so there&rsquo;s the potential to see an increase in monthly benefits down the road, based on how much you&rsquo;re paying in&mdash;even if you are receiving Social Security benefits.
<h4 dir="ltr">SOURCES</h4>
<ol>
<li>&ldquo;Social Security for Women.&rdquo; Social Security Administration. <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/people/women/">https://www.ssa.gov/people/women/</a>. Accessed 16 December 2025.</li>
<li>&ldquo;Quarter of Coverage.&rdquo; Social Security Administration. <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/QC.html" rel="follow">https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/QC.html</a> Accessed 16 December 2025</li>
<li>&ldquo;Delayed Retirement Credits.&rdquo; SSA, Social Security Administration, <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/delayret.html">https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/delayret.html</a>. Accessed 16 December 2025.</li>
<li>&ldquo;Retirement Benefits.&rdquo; SSA, Social Security Administration, <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/1960.html">https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/1960.html</a>. Accessed 1 May 2021.</li>
<li>&ldquo;Social Security Benefit Amounts.&rdquo; Social Security Administration. <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/Benefits.html">https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/Benefits.html</a>. Accessed 16 December 2025.</li>
<li>&ldquo;Benefit Calculation Examples for Workers Retiring in 2026.&rdquo; Social Security Administration. <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/oact/ProgData/retirebenefit1.html">https://www.ssa.gov/oact/ProgData/retirebenefit1.htm</a>l. Accessed 16 December 2025.</li>
<li>&ldquo;How Much Does Motherhood Cost Women in Social Security Benefits?&rdquo; SSRN.com. 9 October 2017. <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3048891">https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3048891</a>. Accessed 28 February 2023.</li>
<li>&ldquo;Social Security Credits.&rdquo; Social Security Administration. <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/credits.html">https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/credits.html</a>. Accessed 16 December 2025.</li>
</ol>

<h6 dir="ltr" style="text-align: right;">Last Updated: March 30, 2026</h6>
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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&rsquo;s benefits calculator to help you run the numbers.
<h2 dir="ltr">Single Women</h2>
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.&nbsp;
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&nbsp;
On the other hand, if you know you&rsquo;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.
<h2 dir="ltr">Married Women2</h2>
Married women are eligible for their own earned benefits or up to 50% of their spouse&rsquo;s Social Security benefit&mdash;whichever is greater. How much you actually receive is based on your spouse&rsquo;s full retirement age and earnings, as well as whether you&rsquo;re at your full retirement age when you claim benefits.&nbsp;
For example, if your spouse&rsquo;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&rsquo;s benefit. However, if you claim benefits early at age 62, you would only get 32.5% of your spouse&rsquo;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&rsquo;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&rsquo;s situation and sources of retirement income.&nbsp;
Finally, it&rsquo;s important to understand the impact of a government pension on spousal benefits. If you&rsquo;re a public employee that receives a pension that doesn&rsquo;t involve Social Security coverage, your spousal benefits can be reduced.&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr">Divorced Women3</h2>
Interestingly, divorced women can also claim spousal benefits based on a former spouse&rsquo;s income. This won&rsquo;t reduce the former spouse&rsquo;s benefit. You can file for spousal benefits based on your ex-spouse&rsquo;s earnings if you meet the following criteria:
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You were married for at least 10 years
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You aren&rsquo;t currently married
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</ul>
You can claim benefits starting at age 62 as long as your ex-spouse is eligible for benefits. Your ex doesn&rsquo;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&rsquo;s earnings to consider for spousal benefits. Compare your spousal benefit to your own benefit to determine which is best for you.
It&rsquo;s also possible to claim survivor benefits if your ex-spouse dies and you haven&rsquo;t remarried.
<h2 dir="ltr">Widowed Women4</h2>
You can receive a survivor benefit if you&rsquo;re at least 60 (or at least 50, if you&rsquo;re disabled) and your spouse dies. In general, a widow can receive up to 100% of the spousal benefit. If you&rsquo;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&rsquo;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&rsquo;s benefit. If you were receiving 50% of your spouse&rsquo;s benefit, and then your spouse dies, you can then bump that up to 100% of your spouse&rsquo;s benefit.
However, it&rsquo;s still important to prepare for your spouse&rsquo;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 &ldquo;<a href="/retirement-school/retirement-planning-when-a-spouse-dies" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Retirement Planning When a Spouse Dies</a>.&rdquo;
<h4 dir="ltr">SOURCES:</h4>
<ol>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
&ldquo;Delayed Retirement Credits.&rdquo; Social Security Administration. <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/delayret.html">https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/delayret.html</a>. Accessed 16 December 2025.
</li>
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&ldquo;Benefits for Spouses.&rdquo; Social Security Administration. <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/oact/quickcalc/spouse.html">www.ssa.gov/oact/quickcalc/spouse.html</a>. Accessed 16 December 2025.
</li>
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&ldquo;The Retirement Prospects of Divorced Women.&rdquo; Social Security Administration. <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v72n1/v72n1p11.html">https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v72n1/v72n1p11.html</a>. Accessed 16 December 2025.&nbsp;
</li>
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&ldquo;If You Are A Survivor.&rdquo; Social Security Administration. <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/survivors/ifyou.html">https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/survivors/ifyou.html</a>. Accessed 16 December 2025.
</li>
</ol>

<h6 dir="ltr" style="text-align: right;">Last Updated: December 16, 2025</h6>
Another consideration in receiving Social Security benefits is whether you&rsquo;re employed in the public sector. In the past, public sector employees didn&rsquo;t earn Social Security credits because they were assumed to have different retirement arrangements.
These days, many state employees and even federal employees can opt into the Social Security system.1,2 However, earnings prior to 1983 won&rsquo;t be included in your calculations. Additionally, the federal government operates using a retirement system called the Federal Employee Retirement System, commonly known as FERS. Before 1986 however, the primary retirement system was the CSRS or Civil Service Retirement System. It&rsquo;s important to note that your social security access is based on which system you were part of if you&rsquo;re a federal or state employee.
<h2 dir="ltr">Federal and State Employees</h2>
Civil Service Retirement System
This system was created to provide civilian employees of the federal government (workers who support the government but aren&rsquo;t in the military) with a retirement package. Under CSRS, if you&rsquo;re a government employee, you&rsquo;ll likely receive<a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/pensionplan.asp" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank"> pension payments</a> from your employer. In addition, government employees grandfathered into the<a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/csrs.asp" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank"> Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS)</a> before 1984 can be provided retirement, survivor, and disability benefits.3&nbsp;
If you benefit from this act, you won&rsquo;t receive Social Security benefits when you retire because you wouldn&rsquo;t have paid into the system during your working years (but you may be able to receive Medicare if you stayed in the CSRS system after 1983). However, should your spouse be entitled to Social Security, you may still qualify for spousal Social Security benefits, though they may be reduced (more on that later).
Federal Employee Retirement System
If you&rsquo;ve spent your career working for the government, you&rsquo;re probably familiar with the<a href="https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/fers-information/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank"> Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS)</a>. Created in 1986 and put into effect the following year, FERS is the government&rsquo;s more modernized retirement plan that provides benefits from three different sources: a monthly annuity, Social Security, and a global retirement plan called a TSP or Thrift Savings Plan. All employees covered by FERS are eligible for Social Security.&nbsp; If FERS covers you, you contribute to Social Security similarly to private sector employees.&nbsp; The Thrift Savings Plan has similarities to a 401k, where employees can contribute up to 10% of their pre-tax savings to the plan and benefit from up to a 5% match from the Government.4
State and Local Employees
While at one time, Social Security didn&rsquo;t cover State and local employees, today, the majority of State and local government employees are covered by retirement systems maintained by the States and localities. The provisions of these plans vary from one jurisdiction to another.&nbsp; If your state has a &lsquo;Section 218 agreement&rsquo; that typically means you are covered by Social Security.&nbsp; Additionally, unless you are specifically excluded, employees hired after March 31st, 1986 are eligible for Medicare.5
<h2 dir="ltr">Teachers</h2>
While many state employees can access Social Security benefits as long as they meet the credit requirements, not all teachers still have access to the system. As of 2023, 33 states offer teachers Social Security participation. However, there are 13 states6 that have opted out of Social Security and provide teachers with pension benefits instead. These states are Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada and Ohio. In Georgia, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas and Utah, inclusion in Social Security varies based on your school district.
Because 74.3% of all teachers are women, this is another data point that can affect women in retirement. If you&rsquo;re a teacher that doesn&rsquo;t have access to Social Security-eligible earnings, it&rsquo;s important to understand your state&rsquo;s retirement system and how you can access pension and retirement benefits later.
Teachers'&nbsp; Social Security eligibility depends on what state and school district they work in. This is because many states offer teachers a pension in lieu of Social Security. Some states provide coverage to teachers while others do not, and a small number of states have a mixed landscape where certain districts in the state have coverage, and others do not.
For teachers who do not participate in Social Security, one of the most significant retirement benefits they don&rsquo;t receive is the spousal or survivor benefit. Not being able to collect this benefit could be damaging to educators later in life when the survivor benefit protects a surviving spouse. With women outliving men and comprising over 75% of the educator population, for those that are married, retirement planning needs to factor in a plan for when both partners are alive and for when one is a survivor.
<h4 dir="ltr">SOURCES:</h4>
<ol>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
&ldquo;How State and Local Government Employees are Covered by Social Security and Medicare.&rdquo; Social Security Administration. <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10051.pdf" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10051.pdf</a>. Accessed 28 February 2023.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
&ldquo;Social Security Benefits for Federal Workers.&rdquo; Social Security Administration. <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/fedgovees.html" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/fedgovees.html</a>. Accessed 28 February 2023.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Retirement Services CSRS Information.&rdquo; U.S. Office of Personnel Management,<a href="http://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/csrs-information/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank"> www.opm.gov/retirement-services/csrs-information/</a>. Accessed 6 October 2022.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
&ldquo;Retirement Services FERS Information.&rdquo; U.S. Office of Personnel Management,<a href="http://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/fers-information/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank"> www.opm.gov/retirement-services/fers-information/</a>. Accessed 6 October 2022.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
&ldquo;How State and Local Government Employees are Covered by Social Security and Medicare&rdquo;<a href="https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/sspus/govment.pdf" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank"> https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/sspus/govment.pdf</a>. Accessed 6 October 2022.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
&ldquo;Not All Teacher Retirement Is Created Equal.&rdquo; nces.edu.gov<a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/mapED/storymaps/TeacherSocialSecurity/index.html" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank"> https://nces.ed.gov/programs/mapED/storymaps/TeacherSocialSecurity/index.html</a> Accessed 6 October 2022
</li>
</ol>

<h6 dir="ltr" style="text-align: right;">Last Updated: December 30, 2025</h6>
Part of tax planning during retirement is considering taxes on Social Security benefits. Your Social Security retirement, disability and survivor benefits might be subject to taxes. As you plan for retirement and manage your income, it&rsquo;s important to stay on top of your potential tax bill.
<h2 dir="ltr">Federal vs. State Taxes on Social Security Benefits1,2</h2>
First of all, the federal government might tax a portion of your Social Security benefits. The amount of your benefits that might be taxed at the federal level depends on your filing status and income. 
<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/zDXT3zZNT1mGFiM6Y0Et">
However, each state handles taxes on Social Security in their own way. As of 2026, there are 41 states that won&rsquo;t tax any portion of your Social Security taxes. Here are the 9 states that levy some type of tax on a portion of your Social Security benefits:3
<ul>
<li>Colorado</li>
<li>Connecticut</li>
<li>Minnesota</li>
<li>Montana</li>
<li>New Mexico</li>
<li>Rhode Island</li>
<li>Utah</li>
<li>Vermont</li>
<li>West Virginia (West Virginia will completely phase out taxes on Social Security benefits beginning in 2027)</li>
</ul>
Double-check your state&rsquo;s tax laws to determine how they handle taxes on Social Security benefits, as well as how they tax other types of retirement income.
<h4 dir="ltr">SOURCES:</h4>
<ol>
<li>&ldquo;IRS reminds taxpayers their Social Security benefits may be taxable.&rdquo; irs.gov. 9 February 2022. <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-reminds-taxpayers-their-social-security-benefits-may-be-taxable">https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-reminds-taxpayers-their-social-security-benefits-may-be-taxable</a>. Accessed 28 February 2023.</li>
<li>&ldquo;Income Taxes And Your Social Security Benefit.&rdquo; Social Security Administration. <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/taxes.html">https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/taxes.html</a>. Accessed 28 February 2023.</li>
<li>Schubel, Kate &ldquo;States That Tax Social Security Benefits in 2026.&rdquo; Kiplinger, 22 June 2025. <a href="https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/social-security/603803/states-that-tax-social-security-benefits" rel="follow">https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/social-security/603803/states-that-tax-social-security-benefits</a>. Accessed 16 December 2025.</li>
</ol>

<h6 dir="ltr" style="text-align: right;">Last Updated: December 16, 2025</h6>
Due to a variety of factors, women experience Social Security benefits differently from men, and are more likely to have lower benefits while living longer. As a result, it&rsquo;s important for women to plan ahead and consider how to coordinate other retirement income sources, such as 401(k)s, IRAs and other accounts, with their Social Security benefits.&nbsp;
Women with partners might have other considerations, such as how to manage their benefits and spousal benefits, determining when to start taking Social Security benefits and how to handle survivor benefits.&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Understand that your eligibility for Social Security depends on how long you&rsquo;ve worked and whether you&rsquo;ve accumulated enough credits. Many women earn credits slowly over time due to time out of the workforce or part-time work.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Not all teachers and public sector workers have access to the Social Security system and may need to make alternative plans for retirement income.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
You can keep receiving Social Security benefits if you go back to work during retirement, but your monthly payment might be reduced.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
You can claim Social Security retirement benefits based on your spouse&rsquo;s work history, and it&rsquo;s even possible for divorced women to claim spousal benefits based on an ex&rsquo;s work history.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Plan for a portion of your Social Security benefits to be taxed. Not all states tax Social Security benefits, but the federal government does once you reach a certain income threshold.
</li>
</ul>
Interested in learning more about women and retirement?&nbsp; Consider reading &ldquo;<a href="/retirement-school/early-retirement-healthcare-for-women" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Early Retirement Healthcare for Women</a>&rdquo; or &ldquo;<a href="/retirement-school/women-and-retirement" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Navigating Retirement as a Woman</a>.&rdquo;

As a woman, maximizing your Social Security benefits requires navigating specific challenges.

About This Class

Checklists designed to help you make informed decisions, and ultimately get the most out of your benefits.&nbsp;

Checklists designed to help you make informed decisions, and ultimately get the most out of your benefits. 

Read this class to learn how to avoid some of the most common Social Security mistakes that could reduce your benefits.

Read this class to learn how to avoid some of the most common Social Security mistakes that could reduce your benefits.

This class covers everything you need to know about the potential changes to both Medicare and Social Security in President Trump&rsquo;s budget&mdash;including a detailed breakdown of these budget line items, how the changes could impact you and what to do if you&rsquo;re currently retired and receiving these benefits or nearing retirement and planning to receive them soon.

This class covers everything you need to know about the potential changes to both Medicare and Social Security in President Trump’s budget—including a detailed breakdown of these budget line items, how the changes could impact you and what to do if you’re currently retired and receiving these benefits or nearing retirement and planning to receive them soon.



Social Security announced the 2026 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) of 2.8%. This class helps you understand what higher inflation means for your retirement and how Social Security can provide inflation protection.

Social Security announced the 2026 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) of 2.8%. This class helps you understand what higher inflation means for your retirement and how Social Security can provide inflation protection.

Here&rsquo;s what you need to consider before you file for Social Security benefits.

Here’s what you need to consider before you file for Social Security benefits.

Ready to elect your benefits? We'll guide you through this process.

Ready to elect your benefits? We'll guide you through this process.

Think your Social Security income is tax-free? Think again. Learn what taxes you may face on your benefits.

Think your Social Security income is tax-free? Think again. Learn what taxes you may face on your benefits.

Your new retirement income comes with a set of rules (and patience) on how to claim it. Here's an overview of everything you need to know about your Social Security benefits.

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Your new retirement income comes with a set of rules (and patience) on how to claim it. Here's an overview of everything you need to know about your Social Security benefits.

Reclaim your life after a divorce and the benefits you're entitled to.

Reclaim your life after a divorce and the benefits you're entitled to.

What's mine is yours, but what about Social Security benefits? Find out how marriage affects retirement benefits.&nbsp;

What's mine is yours, but what about Social Security benefits? Find out how marriage affects retirement benefits. 

You've worked for this benefit and now learn how you can maximize your retirement income.

You've worked for this benefit and now learn how you can maximize your retirement income.

If you have worked in a public sector job, it's critical to understand whether you are eligible for Social Security.&nbsp; In this class we explore what benefits you may, or may not, be eligible for.

If you have worked in a public sector job, it's critical to understand whether you are eligible for Social Security.  In this class we explore what benefits you may, or may not, be eligible for.

Losing a loved one is challenging but you'll at least be able to receive his/her's benefits even after they are gone.

Losing a loved one is challenging but you'll at least be able to receive his/her's benefits even after they are gone.

Planning to work and receive benefits at the same? If so, here's how your age may play a big factor in your income.

Planning to work and receive benefits at the same? If so, here's how your age may play a big factor in your income.

Social Security Category

Maximizing Women’s Social Security

Want to learn more? Unlock all lessons in this class now and access them forever. Your first class is always free.

Unlock this entire class for free

Taxes on Social Security Benefits

Class Summary

What Public Sector Employees Need to Know — Especially Teachers

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