We came across a great Q&A from The Sacramento Bee prepared by the Social Security Administration:
Q: My husband and I are both entitled to our own Social Security benefits. Will our combined benefits be reduced because we are married?
A: No. When each member of a married couple works in employment covered under Social Security and both meet all other eligibility requirements to receive retirement benefits, lifetime earnings are calculated independently to determine the benefit amounts. Therefore, each spouse receives a monthly benefit amount based on his or her own earnings. If one member of the couple earned low wages or did not earn enough Social Security credits (40) to be insured for retirement benefits, he or she may be eligible to receive benefits as a spouse. To learn more about retirement, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/retirement.
Q: I just got back from an overseas Military deployment and I want to plan ahead for my retirement. How will my Military retirement affect my Social Security benefits?
A: Your Military retirement won’t affect your Social Security benefits at all. You can get both. Generally, there is no offset of Social Security benefits because of your military retirement. You will get full Social Security benefits based on your earnings. However your Social Security benefit might be reduced is if you also receive a government pension based on a job in which you did not pay Social Security taxes. You can find more information in the publication Military Service and Social Security. Or call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).
