Do Stay-at-Home Moms Get Social Security?
Yes, through a spouse. Raising children at home doesn’t earn Social Security credits, but a stay-at-home mom or dad can get a spousal benefit of up to 50% of the working spouse’s full benefit once the spouse files, a survivor benefit of up to 100% if the spouse dies, and a divorced spouse benefit after a marriage of at least 10 years. None of these need any work credits of your own. In December 2025, people paid only as spouses averaged $962.20 a month.
How much a stay-at-home spouse gets
The spousal benefit is up to half of your spouse’s full benefit at full retirement age, and it’s reduced if you start before your own full retirement age. For a spouse whose full benefit is $2,400:
| You start at | Your spousal benefit |
|---|---|
| 62 | $780 |
| 64 | $900 |
| 67 (full retirement age) | $1,200 |
| After 67 | $1,200; it doesn’t grow |
Swipe sideways to see the full table →
It’s half of your spouse’s full benefit, not half of the check your spouse receives. If your spouse delays to 70 and gets $2,976, your spousal benefit is still $1,200. If your spouse claims at 62 and gets $1,680, it’s still up to $1,200.
When you can start
- Your spouse must be receiving retirement or disability benefits. You can’t collect on a living spouse’s record until they file.
- You must be 62, or caring for your spouse’s child who is under 16 or disabled.
- You must have been married at least a year, unless you’re the parents of a child together.
The child-in-care benefit is paid at any age and isn’t reduced for age. It stops when the youngest child turns 16, unless the child is disabled, and you can switch to a regular spousal benefit at 62. Total benefits on one worker’s record are capped by the family maximum, so a spouse and several children may each get less than the full amount.
If your spouse dies
A widow or widower can get 71.5% of the late spouse’s benefit at 60, rising to 100% at survivor full retirement age, and a survivor benefit needs no work credits of your own. A surviving parent caring for the worker’s child under 16 or disabled can get 75% at any age. Survivor benefits continue if you remarry at 60 or later.
For a stay-at-home spouse, this is usually the largest benefit, and it’s set by when the working spouse claims: delaying raises it, claiming early can cap it.
If you divorce
A divorced spouse benefit needs a marriage of at least 10 years before the divorce is final. It pays the same up to 50% as a spousal benefit, doesn’t reduce what your ex or their new spouse gets, and doesn’t require your ex to file once you’ve been divorced two years and your ex is 62. A divorce finalized at nine years and 11 months qualifies for nothing, so the date matters.
What your years at home do to your own record
Years without earnings count as zeros if you later qualify on your own record. If you worked before or after raising children and have 40 credits, you get your own benefit, plus a spousal top-up when half your spouse’s full benefit is larger. If you have fewer than 40 credits, you get no retirement benefit of your own, but the spousal and survivor benefits don’t depend on it.
Disability and SSI
SSDI on your own record requires recent work, generally 20 credits in the 10 years before a disability that starts at 31 or later, so most long-time stay-at-home parents don’t qualify. If your spouse gets SSDI, you can get a spousal benefit on their disability record under the same rules. If your household income and savings are low, SSI may be available at 65 or with a disability.
Medicare
You can get premium-free Medicare Part A at 65 through your spouse’s work record after a year of marriage, or through a former or late spouse’s record after a 10-year marriage, even with no work of your own.