Alabama. I have a question concerning retirement benefits under social security. My wife is a stay at home Mom and has not earned enough credits for social security retirement (if there even is such a thing in 25 years). I was wondering if she is entitled to any benefits on my behalf at retirement age? I will have earned the maximum benefit amount and will have paid in at that rate for over 30 years.
So she will be 62 in 25 years and you are planning ahead? I commend you for looking that far ahead.
It is impossible to predict what the laws will be in 25 years. The law today and as it has been since Social Security started in 1935 is that women can get retirement Social Security benefits after their husbands have retired and they have reached age 62 and have been married long enough. These laws were modified over the years to includes husband's qualifying on wife's earnings and divorced spouses who meet certain age and marriage requirements. Also, widow's and widower benefits are part of the Social Security package.
So, if she remains a SAHM and you continue to earn the maximum, and you are entitled to retirement Social Security when she turns age 62 and you and she are still married and the law doesn't change, then yes, she could get a monthly retirement check which woud be 1/2 your benefit, reduced by the number of months she is under full retirement age, which would probaby be 68 or older in 25 years.
But what are your plans in case she became disabled? She could not get any Social Security disability and you would be earning too much from your job for her to get SSI disability. She could not get Medicare or Medicaid. I have always thought that SAHM should work a little every year and pay into Social Security if only for possible Medicare entitlement if it was needed. If she were to become disabled, you would have the extra costs for her medical care and the extra costs for the child care that she provides.
And from her viewpoint, her security is based on your goodwill. I was a SAHM myself for 7 years and although I had full faith that my husband would provide for me (which he did), it still can be a precarious position and many women find that it was not a safe place to be.
Think about the worst case scenerios for both and and her, and although you can't prevent them, you should have a contingent plan. And so should she.