Who could get social security benefits?

Question

My wife and I have this disagreement. She thinks SS benefits are only for people who were on payroll. I think that SS benefits are those who had paid SS taxes whether through payroll or not. Who's right? A good spanking in on the line here.

Answer 1

If you pay ss through a job, or as self-employment taxes, it's the same - you can collect benefits if you have enough credits.

Answer 2

This should be fun!  You get to spank each other.

NEITHER of you are completely correct.  A spouse who never worked a day in their life can collect SS on the other spouse's record if the other spouse is eligible.  Generally you receive 100% of your own benefit or 50% of your spouse's benefit, whichever is greater.  This includes an ex-spouse if you were married long enough.

To be eligible in your own right, you must have sufficient SS wages recorded on your earnings record and enough paid-in quarters of SS taxes (generally 10 years worth), either through employment or self-employment.

Answer 3

You are.

Employees and the self-employed both pay SS tax.

Both groups earn credits based on how much they make during the year.

It takes 40 credits or 10 years to earn enough credits for retirement benefits.

If you become disabled, you only need 6 credits to receive disability benefits, no matter how old you are.

Disablity is a 'regular' SS benefit; SSI is not.

**Yes, a husband/wife can receive benefits based on their spouse's record even if they've never worked.  However, the fact still remains, the spouse must have earned enough credits to receive SS in order for the living spouse to receive any benefit.

Answer 4

If your wife doesn't pay social security through work I don't understand how she paid social security payments at all.  Homemakers can collect their spouses social security if that spouse dies.  She could probably collect if she became disabled but that would be SSI, not regular social security.

If she had some other way of paying social security I'm sure she could collect.