I think I need to actually find an consultant for help. I'm a physician; my wife is a college professor (working as an employee of the State of Texas - does not contribute into FICA). Checking back to 2009, we have had a combined income of $300,000 to $425,000 each year. Here's the biggest complication: there's 12 years difference in our ages (my DOB: 7/1951, her DOB: 8/1963). I hope to hear your advice. If you suggest a consultant, I live in East Texas - Longview, Tyler and Texarkana are each about 1 hour away. Dallas is 2 hours away. Thanks in advance for replying to me. Thomas

Hi Thomas,

Assuming that your wife will receive a pension for her non Social Security covered work, she may not be able to receive Social Security benefits on your record. Even though it sounds like she would become eligible for spousal benefits on your record when she's at least age 62, her spousal benefits would likely be offset by 2/3rds of the amount of her Texas state pension as soon as she starts drawing the pension. This is due to the Government Pension Offset (GPO) provision (https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10007.pdf). GPO also applies to widows benefits, so she may not be able to draw benefits on your record even if you die first.

The maximization software available on this website is programmed to handle cases involving the GPO provision, and it should be able to help you determine the best filing strategy for you and your wife. We also offer an expert review service. For details on our services, refer to the purchase page.

Best, Jerry