Coordinating Spousal Benefits

A reader from Texas asks when his spouse can file for her spousal Social Security benefit after he submitted his own application.

“I will turn 70 in March 2026, so I applied online in November 2025 for my Social Security retirement benefit to start next March. I want to maximize my delayed retirement credits and benefit from the 24% growth on the principal that funds my future payments. I have left enough time for Social Security to review and approve my application.

Here's my question: My spouse is also 70, but she doesn’t qualify for her own benefit, so she will be claiming a benefit based on my earnings record. She’ll receive 50% of my Full Retirement Age benefit. However, I found no guidance explaining exactly how soon she can file her online application for the spousal benefit. Is it: (A) now, because I’ve already applied, (B) only after I receive notice that my application has been approved, (C) not until April 2026, after I start receiving my benefit, or (D) something else?

I suspect (A). I ask because the wording on the SSA website and other resources can be interpreted to mean any of these.”

I’m going to confirm what you suspect. The answer is A. When someone files for a Social Security retirement benefit, it opens the door for their spouse to file as well. I hear frequently about people going into Social Security and filing for themselves and their spouse simultaneously.

(Visiting Social Security offices used to be common, but you can still do so to some extent. The ease depends on where you live. You can also apply online just as easily.)

In your case, even though your benefit hasn’t started, since you've already applied, you can also apply for your spouse's benefit at any time going forward. These benefits are connected so that your spouse’s won’t begin until yours does, but the system can be set up to work that way.

The earliest you can apply for a specific benefit start date is four months in advance. So, you can’t go in and say, “Hey, I’m 66 right now, but I know I want to file at 70 and I want to be really proactive. Can I just go ahead and put in my claim now, and you can turn it on in four years, when I turn 70?” They won’t do that. They literally will not let you select a start month more than four months ahead of the target month.

Let’s review your story: You submitted your application in November 2025, which was the earliest month you could have applied for a benefit starting in March 2026. However, your spouse can apply at any time now, referencing your original claim.

You could have filed both claims at the same time. I’ve heard many people do that. Social Security accepts the applications for both and processes them smoothly. So, no, you don’t need to wait for an official notice that your application has been approved or for benefits to start flowing. You can apply for her spousal benefit at any time now.

Even if your wife waits until February to apply, her benefits might still start at the same time as yours. However, if she waits too long, there could be a delay in starting them. Since you seem very proactive about things, you might as well take the same approach to the spousal benefit and get that process underway.

Especially if you visit a Social Security office, when you submit her claim, explain that you have already applied for your own benefit, and it starts in March. This will help link the two applications and allow them to be processed together. 

I’m not privy to the back-office dealings of Social Security, so I’m not sure exactly how the processing works. However, I’ve heard plenty of stories about people filing for both their own and their spouse’s benefits two or three months in advance. I haven’t heard of anybody who wasn’t allowed to do that.