Hello Larry. First I want to thank you for all of the terrific information you have provided over the years via the internet. My questions: My husband receives Disability payments. He will be FRA in May 2020. I will be FRA in October 2017. I wish to delay receiving my RB until my age 70. (I am the higher earner.) I was born in 1951, my husband in May 1954. I have learned from reading your articles that my husbands DIB will automatically convert to RB when he is age 66 (he will not be able to delay his benefits until age 70 because of the change made in 2015 to Social Security Procedures Manual.) I am wondering if I can file a restricted application for spousal benefits on my husbands DID when I reach my FRA in October 2017 and be assured that my retirement benefits on my record will continue to grow until age 70. From what I am reading it appears that when my husband's benefits automatically convert to RB in May 2020, my spousal benefits (auxillary) would also automatically be converted to RB benefits and I would not be able to delay my benefits to age 70. I don't want to do anything to endanger the delay of my benefits to age 70. Thanks!

Hi,

Yes, you can file a restricted application for spousal benefits only when you reach full retirement age (FRA), then switch to your own record at age 70, at which time your own benefit will be 32% higher than the FRA rate. You will not be deemed to have filed on your own account when your husband's disability benefits convert to retirement benefits.

The reason you still have this option is because you were born before January 2 1954, and are thus not affected by the new laws on deeming passed by Congress last year (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/deemedfaq.html).

Another option to consider would be for your husband to voluntarily suspend his benefits after you switch to drawing on your own account at age 70. He could then resume benefits at a higher rate when he reaches age 70. To fully check out all of your options, you may wish to consider running the maximization software available on this website.

Best, Jerry