I am receiving benefits on my own Social Security account and my husband is receiving benefits on his own account. We both filed for our benefits online. I believe my spousal benefit on my husband's account will exceed the amount I receive on my own. Having previously filed online for my own benefit, can I now also file online to apply for my spousal benefit or is there a different application process for that? I am 68, my husband is 70, I began claiming on my account 9/2021, he began claiming on his own account the month he turned 70, 7/2022.

Hi. As far as I know, the answer is no. Social Security's website indicates that you can't apply online for another type of benefit if you're already collecting benefits on your own account. What you'll likely need to do is call Social Security to make an appointment to apply for benefits by phone or in person.

I have no way of knowing whether or not you are actually eligible for spousal benefits, but I can tell you that you'll only be eligible for spousal benefits if your husband's primary insurance amount (PIA) is more than twice as much as your own PIA augmented by any delayed retirement credits (DRC) you earned by waiting past your full retirement age (FRA) to start collecting your benefits. A person's PIA is equal to their Social Security retirement benefit rate if they start drawing their benefits at full retirement age (FRA).

For example, let's say Amy files for her own benefits at age 67. Amy's FRA is 66, and her primary insurance amount (PIA) is $1,000. However, Amy's monthly benefit rate is increased by 8% due to DRCs, giving her a monthly benefit amount of $1080. A year later, Amy's husband, Bill, files for his benefits when he turns age 70. Bill's PIA is $2,000, but with delayed retirement credits his monthly benefit rate is increased to $2,640. However, even though Bill's monthly rate is more than twice as much as Amy's rate (i.e. $2640 vs. $1080), Amy isn't eligible for any spousal benefits because Bill's PIA isn't more than twice as much as Amy's PIA with DRCs added (i.e. $2000/2 -$1080 = less than zero).

Best, Jerry