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Here's The Average Social Security Benefit For Married Couples In 2025
Making ends meet in the current economy is tough for lots of people, no matter their age. It's especially challenging for people who are retired and living on fixed incomes, and harder still for the estimated 40% of retired Americans who rely entirely on Social Security benefits for their monthly income.
When you consider that in 2025, the average American retired worker will collect just $1,976 each month in Social Security benefits — and the average monthly rent is $1,559 — you can see why so many people are stressed.
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Still, married couples usually bring home more than the average because both spouses can claim benefits. This is true even if one partner in the couple did not work for the minimum of 10 years used to calculate Social Security benefits (more on this below).
Yet even with the deposit of two Social Security benefit checks each month, it's probably not enough to cover the average retired couple's monthly expenses.
Related: Here's how much the average Social Security benefit will be in 2025
Of course, it can be difficult to know how much your monthly expenses will add up to when you retire. You will likely have some relatively fixed costs, such as housing, utilities, taxes and health insurance to supplement your Medicare coverage.
What are your other expenses? Travel? Hobbies? Entertainment?
If you have a pension or other retirement savings, you might not be as concerned about how much of your daily living Social Security benefits will cover, but it's better to plan ahead than to be surprised.
If you haven't already done so, now is a good time to create a "my Social Security" account today so you can estimate your and your spouse's Social Security benefits.
On the SSA website, you can even calculate how much your benefits will be starting at age 62 — remember, the longer you wait to start collecting your benefits, the more you will receive each month until age 70 when you will collect the maximum you're allowed.
Retired couples will get a boost in their Social Security benefits in 2025.Social Security benefits may not cover annual expenses for couples
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average household headed by an adult aged 65 or older spent $60,087 in 2023 (the most recent statistics available) to pay for everything from housing and food to healthcare. That's around $5,007 a month. Be advised that this number will certainly increase for 2025, and Social Security cost-of-living adjustment increases are unlikely to bridge the gap.
If both partners collect the average Social Security benefit in 2025, the total will be just over $3,800 a month, well below the average monthly expenditure for households headed by a person of retirement age.
More on Social Security:
- Social Security benefits report confirms major changes are coming
- Medicare changes will impact your wallet in 2025
- How average Americans can better plan for 401(k), retirement income
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Even if you didn't work outside the home, you can still connect Social Security spousal benefits
Social Security was never intended to be the sole or even primary source of income for retirees, married or single. When it was created, It was meant to be a social insurance program with the aim of keeping vulnerable populations, including the elderly, out of poverty. Still, nearly half of all Americans depend on their monthly Social Security benefits to keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table.
Even if you didn't work outside the home, you may still be entitled to what are called "spousal benefits" as long as you are married to someone who is entitled to Social Security retirement or disability benefits. In order to collect spousal benefits, you must also be 62 years old.
There are also limits to how much you can collect: the most you can receive is 50% of what your spouse's benefit will be at his or her "full retirement age." Full retirement age depends on the year you were born. For example, full retirement age for people born in 1958 is 66 and 8 months. For people born in 1960 and later, full retirement age is 67.
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