Dear Larry,
Below is a summary of my situation:
- I will reach full retirement age on October 1 (66 years old)
- I am still working as a teacher and for this reason did not contribute to social security
- I am eligible for spouse’s benefit and I want to determine the best date to start this benefit
- My earnings before October 1st exceed the limit of the full retirement age so I understand that the payment of my spouse’s benefit before September will reduce to zero. However, according to the special monthly rule, I think I am eligible to the spouse’s benefit payment of the months of July and August because as a teacher I do not get payed for these two months.
- Can I request my spouse’s benefit to start on July 1st ? So that I can get the spouse’s benefit payment of July and August. I understand that if I start on July 1st, my benefit will be less than 50% of my husband’s payment (49.3% according to the social security website).
Thank you very much. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sam

Hi Sam,

No, you can't claim reduced spousal benefits retroactively for any months prior to your month of filing. However, it sounds like you could still file this month and be paid for August. And since you were born on the first day of October, Social Security will consider you as reaching full retirement age in September, so you can be paid benefits starting with September regardless of how much you earn.

Before filing, you may want to consider using the maximization software available on this website to compare your options and determine your best strategy.

Best, Jerry