If Social Security Cuts Benefits, Here’s Who Might Get Hurt the Most

There are rumors flying that Social Security is about to go broke and stop paying benefits completely. And thankfully, they’re just rumors and not reality.

It’s true that Social Security is facing some financial challenges. In the coming years, the program expects to owe more in benefits than it collects in revenue due to a shrinking workforce.

But right now, the worst-case scenario on the table seems to be benefit cuts. Social Security actually can’t go broke because payroll taxes are what primarily fund the program.

Social Security’s Trustees say potential benefit cuts could happen soon, though. If lawmakers don’t find a way to address the program’s shortfall, benefit cuts could arrive by 2032, and retirees could see their monthly checks shrink by 22%.

There’s one group of retired Americans that might get hurt the most by Social Security cuts. And if you’re in that group, it’s important to prepare for reduced benefits in case lawmakers can’t save the day.

Spousal benefit recipients could feel the pain

Many people collect Social Security in retirement based on their own respective earnings records. But for people who never worked or didn’t earn a lot, spousal benefits can be a lifeline.

Spousal benefits are worth up to 50% of a spouse’s primary insurance amount. So let’s say in a given couple, there’s a working spouse and a non-working spouse. If the working spouse is eligible for $2,400 a month in Social Security at their full retirement age, their spouse (or ex-spouse, for that matter) may be eligible for up to $1,200 in spousal benefit form.

But because spousal benefits are much smaller than traditional retirement benefits, if broad cuts happen, spousal benefit reductions could really sting. As of June 2026, the average monthly retirement benefit was $2,084, while the average spousal benefit was just $986 — less than half.

If the typical spousal recipient gets $986 a month in Social Security and benefits face a 22% cut, that reduces the typical payment to $769. That could especially be a problem for spousal benefit recipients who are divorced, live solo, and don’t have income outside of Social Security to fall back on.

Social Security cuts aren’t a given

The good news in all of this is that Social Security is not guaranteed to cut benefits. Lawmakers have different options they can look at for preventing cuts, including raising payroll taxes and pushing back full retirement age so beneficiaries have to wait longer to collect their monthly payments in full.

But it’s important to recognize that Social Security cuts could happen, and that they could have an outsized impact on your income if you’re reliant on spousal benefits. If that’s the case and you’re not yet retired, you may want to try to enter the workforce if you haven’t worked to date. That might make it possible to build some savings.

If you’re already retired and collecting spousal benefits, part-time work may be on the table. It’s important to consider that if you don’t have other income at your disposal.

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