Typically, people become eligible for Social Security by working and paying into the program. But that’s not the only path to collecting Social Security in retirement. Even if you never worked, you may be entitled to spousal benefits from Social Security.

Spousal benefits, in contrast, max out at 50% of what your spouse (or ex-spouse) collects at full retirement age. If that amount is $2,400, then your spousal benefit could be wort

Claiming Social Security at 62 is popular strategy because it gives recipients the most checks. At the same time, it reduces the size by up to 30%.

If you’re like most seniors, you’ll rely on  Social Security to provide a good portion of your income once you retire. But, it can be hard to figure out exactly what role Social Security will play in supporting you if you don’t know how much money you’ll get from the benefits program.

Spousal benefits are worth up to one-half of what your partner qualifies for at their FRA. You can claim these benefits early, but you lose 25/36th of 1% per month for up to 36 months and five-twelfths of 1% per month thereafter. There's also no delayed retirement credit for applying for spousal benefits after your FRA.

If you and your spouse have a nice amount of money saved up, then you may decide that you'll each claim Social Security as soon as you're able to — meaning, at age 62. And if you're the same age, that would have you filing for benefits at the same time.

George C., a 77-year-old retired worker, started claiming his Social Security benefits at age 65. He thought he had made the right decision, but now he regrets it. “I wish I had waited until the full retirement age (FRA) to get bigger checks,