Social Security spousal benefits are designed to provide much-needed retirement income to married couples where one spouse was the primary earner. Situations where one spouse had a particularly high-paying career or where one spouse was a stay-at-home parent are two common examples.

As of March 2024, nearly 1.9 million people received spousal retirement benefits, with an average monthly payment of $911.68. When combined with the average retired worker's benefit of $1,913.31, the typical household that receives a spousal benefit generally gets approximately $2,825 per month (or $33,900 per year) in inflation-protected retirement income from Social Security.

With that in mind, here's a rundown of how to qualify for spousal benefits, some important rules to know, and more.

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Source Fool.com