Dating your spouse

Retirement Planner: Benefits For Your Spouse

Even if he or she has never worked under Social Security, your spouse may be able to get benefits if he or she is at least 62 years of age and you are receiving or eligible for retirement or disability benefits. He or she can also qualify for Medicare at age 65.

If your spouse is under full retirement age and qualifies on his or her own record, we will pay that amount first. But if he or she also qualifies for a higher amount as a spouse, they'll get a combination of benefits that equals that higher amount. If he or she begins receiving benefits:

If your spouse is under full retirement age and works while receiving benefits, his or her benefits may be affected by the retirement earnings test .

Note: The benefits for your spouse do not include any delayed retirement credits you may receive.

If your spouse will receive a pension for work not covered by Social Security such as government or foreign employment, the amount of his or her Social Security benefits on your record may be reduced .

Note . Your husband or wife can also receive just the spouse's benefit at any age if he or she is caring for your child who is also receiving benefits .

Your spouse would receive these benefits until your child reaches age 16. At that time, the child's benefits continue, but your spouse's benefits stop unless he or she is old enough to receive benefits based on their age.

Benefits paid to your spouse will not decrease your retirement benefit. In fact, the value of the benefits he or she may receive, added to your own, may help you decide if taking your benefits sooner may be more advantageous.

Maximum Family Benefits

If one of your children also qualifies for benefits, there is a limit to the amount we can pay your family.

The total depends on your benefit amount and the number of family members who also qualify on your record. The total varies, but generally the total amount you and your family can receive is about 150 to 180 percent of your full retirement benefit.

Note: If you have a divorced spouse who also qualifies for benefits, he or she will not affect the amount of benefits you or your family may receive.

If your spouse has reached full retirement age and is eligible for a spouse's benefit and his or her own retirement benefit, he or she has a choice. Your spouse can choose to receive only the spouse's benefit when he or she applies online and delay receiving retirement benefits until a later date. If retirement benefits are delayed, a higher benefit may be received at a later date based on the effect of delayed retirement credits .

Note: If both you and your spouse are full retirement age . only one of you can choose to receive spouse’s benefits now and delay receiving your own retirement benefits until a later date.

If your spouse is eligible for retirement benefits on his or her own record we will pay that amount first. But if the benefit on your record is a higher amount, he or she will get a combination of benefits that equals that higher amount (reduced for age).

It doesn't matter if your spouse starts getting benefits before, after, or at the same time you do--we will check both records to make sure your spouse gets the higher amount.

If your spouse continues to work while receiving benefits . the same earnings limits apply to him or her as apply to you. If your spouse is eligible for benefits this year and is also working, you can use our earnings test calculator to see how those earnings would affect your spouse's benefit payments. (Your spouse's earnings affect only his or her own benefits; they do not affect your benefits or those of any other beneficiaries on your record.)

The Next Step

If your spouse is not already receiving benefits, he or she can apply online for benefits based on age.

If you and your spouse apply online for retirement benefits at the same time, or if your spouse applies online after you start receiving benefits, we will check his or her eligibility for benefits as a spouse. If he or she is qualified, the online application will automatically include a request for spousal benefits on your record.

If your spouse applies for benefits, he or she needs to be ready to supply the information we need to approve their application for these benefits:

Click on the items below for a description of benefits that may be paid to your:

Social Security

Disability Planner: Benefits For Your Divorced Spouse

If you are divorced, even if you have remarried, your ex-spouse may qualify for benefits on your record.

(If your ex-spouse will also receive a pension based on work not covered by Social Security, such as government or foreign work, his or her Social Security benefit on your record may be affected .)

To qualify on your record, your ex-spouse must:

have been married to you for at least 10 years;

be at least 62 years old ;

be unmarried; and

not be eligible for an equal or higher benefit on his or her own Social Security record, or on someone else's Social Security record.

Note: The amount of benefits payable to your divorced spouse has no effect on the amount of benefits you or your current spouse may receive.

Select one of the items below for a description of

Retirement Planner: Benefits For Your Divorced Spouse

If you are divorced, your ex-spouse can receive benefits based on your record (even if you have remarried) if:

Your marriage lasted 10 years or longer;

Your ex-spouse is unmarried;

Your ex-spouse is age 62 or older;

The benefit that your ex-spouse is entitled to receive based on his or her own work is less than the benefit he or she would receive based on your work; and

You are entitled to Social Security retirement or disability benefits.

If you have not applied for retirement benefits, but can qualify for them, your ex-spouse can receive benefits on your record if you have been divorced for at least two years.

If your divorced spouse remarries, he or she generally cannot collect benefits on your record unless their later marriage ends (whether by death, divorce or annulment).

If your divorced spouse is eligible for retirement benefits on his or her own record we will pay that amount first. But if

the benefit on your record is a higher amount, he or she will get a combination of benefits that equals that higher amount (reduced for age).

your divorced spouse has reached full retirement age and is eligible for a spouse's benefit and his or her own retirement benefit, he or she has a choice.

Your divorced spouse can choose to receive only the divorced spouse's benefits when he or she applies online and delay receiving retirement benefits until a later date. If retirement benefits are delayed, a higher benefit may be received at a later date based on the effect of delayed retirement credits .

If your former spouse

continues to work while receiving benefits, the same earnings limits apply to him or her as apply to you. If he or she is eligible for benefits this year and is also working, you can use our earnings test calculator to see how those earnings would affect those benefit payments.

will also receive a pension based on work not covered by Social Security, such as government or foreign work, his or her Social Security benefit on your record may be affected .

Note: The amount of benefits your divorced spouse gets has no effect on the amount of benefits you or your current spouse may receive.

If you need information about collecting benefits on your divorced spouse's record, please read If You Are Divorced .

Click on the items below for a description of benefits that may be paid to your:

Top 9 Signs Your Spouse Is Cheating

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5. Regular work habits change.

Working late, going to work at odd hours or, putting in more time than is normal on work related issues can be indications that a spouse is cheating. More »

6. Spending a large amount of time on the computer.

If your spouse is online more than usual, hanging out in chat rooms and visiting pornographic websites then you have reason to be alarmed. More »

Dating

Dating is a part of human mating process whereby two people meet socially for companionship. beyond the level of friendship. or with the aim of each assessing the other's suitability as a partner in an intimate relationship or marriage. It can be a form of courtship consisting of social activities done by the couple. While the term has several meanings, it usually refers to the act of meeting and engaging in some mutually agreed upon social activity in public, together, as a couple.

History [ edit ]

Dating as an institution is a relatively recent phenomenon which has mainly emerged in the last few centuries. From the standpoint of anthropology and sociology. dating is linked with other institutions such as marriage and the family which have also been changing rapidly and which have been subject to many forces, including advances in technology and medicine. As humans have evolved from hunter-gatherers into civilized societies and more recently into modern societies, there have been substantial changes in the relationship between men and women, with perhaps the only biological constant being that both adult women and men must have sexual intercourse for human procreation to happen. [ 3 ]

Humans have been compared to other species in terms of sexual behavior. Neurobiologist Robert Sapolsky constructed a reproductive spectrum with opposite poles being tournament species. in which males compete fiercely for reproductive privileges with females, and pair bond arrangements, in which a male and female will bond for life. [ 4 ] According to Sapolsky, humans are somewhat in the middle of this spectrum, in the sense that humans form pair bonds, but there is the possibility of cheating or changing partners. [ 4 ] These species-particular behavior patterns provide a context for aspects of human reproduction. including dating. However, one particularity of the human species is that pair bonds are often formed without necessarily having the intention of reproduction. In modern times, emphasis on the institution of marriage, generally described as a male-female bond, has obscured pair bonds formed by same-sex and transsexual couples, and that many heterosexual couples also bond for life without offspring, or that often pairs that do have offspring separate. Thus, the concept of marriage is changing widely in many countries.

Historically, marriages in most societies were arranged by parents and older relatives with the goal not being love but legacy and "economic stability and political alliances", according to anthropologists. [ 5 ] Accordingly, there was little need for a temporary trial period such as dating before a permanent community-recognized union was formed between a man and a woman. While pair-bonds of varying forms were recognized by most societies as acceptable social arrangements, marriage was reserved for heterosexual pairings and had a transactional nature, where wives were in many cases a form of property being exchanged between father and husband, and who would have to serve the function of reproduction. Communities exerted pressure on people to form pair-bonds in places such as Europe ; in China. according to sociologist Tang Can, society "demanded people get married before having a sexual relationship" [ 6 ] and many societies found that some formally recognized bond between a man and a woman was the best way of rearing and educating children as well as helping to avoid conflicts and misunderstandings regarding competition for mates.

when should you start dating after your spouse dies

Whenever you feel ready to.

I think that this is something that each person has to decide for themselves. Once you feel that you are ready to, then go ahead. Life is short, and none of us know how much time we have left. Some people might feel that "an acceptable amount of time" must pass first, in order to not seem disrespectful of the deceased.

I haven't lost a spouse yet here are my thoughts

If you’re asking this for yourself, first let me say I’m so sorry for your loss.

Grief is a very individualized process, it seems. Some need long periods of time (years) to grieve.