I recently saw this statement in a presentation on social security.

If you turned age 62 prior to 2016, you still have the ability to file a
Restricted Application, which allows you to claim a spousal benefit first,
while your individual benefit earns delayed credits.

I wanted to know more about the restricted application for social security.

I am currently 64, my wife is 52, and we have a 15 year old son in high school. When I turn 66, can I file for social security and then suspend receiving my benefits (earning delayed credits), but still make my wife and son eligible for payments under by account until my son turns 18 or graduates from high school (whichever occurs last)? I thought that I had seen somewhere that there was a deadline to take advantage of this restrictive application and this deadline had already passed.

Hi,

Filing for and then suspending your own benefits is not what is meant by a restricted application. The purpose of a restricted application is to file just for one type of benefit while excluding other types of benefits. In other words, you would be restricting the scope of your application to one type of benefit only.

What you are proposing is commonly referred to as filing and suspending your benefits. You can do that when you turn age 66, but under the new law passed by Congress in 2015 your wife and son could not be paid benefits on your record while your benefits are in suspense (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/suspendfaq.html).

You may want to consider using the maximization software available on this website to explore all of your options and determine the best overall filing strategy for your family.

Best, Jerry