When Social Security was first established, most families only had one bread-earner, and only the working spouse qualified for retirement benefits. This caused financial difficulties for the spouse who didn't work (and hence didn't qualify for Social Security) if the working spouse passed away first. Thankfully the Social Security Administration realized this hardship and amended the law to let wives to collect benefits based on their husband's income.

The family dynamic has changed very much since Social Security was established back in 1935, but there are still many families where one spouse does not work, and therefore does not qualify for retirement benefits based on their own earnings.

There are several requirements in order to qualify for Social Security retirement benefits, including:

- Age: In order to be eligible for Social Security retirement benefits, you should be at least age 62. Other benefits, like survivor benefits or disability benefits may be collected at an earlier age, but the Social Security eligibility rules require you to be age 62 before you can apply for retirement benefits.

- Work Credits: You must work in a Social Security included job (i.e., where you contribute to Social Security through payroll tax deductions) for a minimum of 40 credits to qualify for retirement benefits. You can gain up to four credits per year; so basically, you must work for 10 years to be eligible for Social Security.

- Citizenship or Residency Status: Many people will be surprised to learn that you do not have to be a U.S. citizen to be eligible for Social Security retirement benefits. Workers who pay into the Social Security program may qualify for benefits even if they are not U.S. citizens, however they must stay in the U.S. to actually receive benefits.

So... do spouses qualify for Social Security? Given the Social Security eligibility requirements listed above, most full-time housewives will not qualify for retirement benefits on their own, unless they were employed for 10 years (40 credits) before they became a homemaker.

But, homemakers are entitled for benefits based on their spouse's earnings. Social Security spousal benefits allow husbands and wives to collect retirement benefits based on their spouse's earnings if they result in a higher benefit than their own. To be more precise, a spouse who has not worked or who has significantly lower earnings than their husband or wife can get up to as much as half of their spouse's total retirement benefit.

Apart from spousal benefits, homemakers may also qualify for Social Security survivor benefits. Widows and widowers can start collecting Social Security benefits based on their deceased spouse's earnings beginning at age 60 (age 50 if they are disabled). Children of deceased workers who are below age 18 (19 if they are still in high school) may also qualify for survivor benefits. This is very beneficial for families with small children when the main bread earner dies at an early age.

While full-time homemakers who have never worked or who have worked for less than 10 years generally won't qualify for Social Security retirement benefits on their own, as you can see, they may be eligible for benefits based on their husband's earnings. Note: while this report has assumed that the homemaker is female, Social Security is gender neutral, so males who choose to stay home to raise the kids can also qualify for spousal and survivor benefits.

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