If you have been married for at least ten years, you can claim your spouse based on your income, as you normally would. The other option is to claim up to 50 percent of your partner’s earnings without affecting their payouts. If you were a stay-at-home parent or spouse, or if your partner had a significantly higher income, this might be a good option for you. You can make this claim only if the 50 percent is higher than what Social Security would pay you, based on your income.

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