I am going to be 68 year old soon and my wife just completed her 66th birthday.

I was advised that I should start and suspend my social security and my wife can claim half of my full payment at my age 66. She is getting her hear own $437 per month but my half will be close to $1200. In that we both can claim spousal benefits.

Do you think that start and suspend will be applicable to me? Please advise.

Looking forward to your comment.

Hi,

No, the advice you received is incorrect. If you file for and suspend your benefits your wife would NOT be able to receive spousal benefits on your record for as long as your benefits are suspended. This was part of the Social Security amendments passed by Congress in 2015 (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/claiming.html?intcmp=AE-RET-PLRT-REL...).

If you aren't already drawing spousal benefits on your wife's record, then your best strategy may be to file just for spousal benefits now and then file on your own record at age 70. Your wife could then file for spousal benefits when you switch to your own record. You should strongly consider using our maximization software to compare all of your various filing options in order to determine the best overall strategy for you and your wife.

Best, Jerry