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Can My Husband Collect My Social Security Now And Then Switch To His Own Benefits At Age 70?

My Husband was born in 1959 (62) and his earning are significantly higher than mine. I was born in 1962 (59). Can my Husband collect my social security this year then switch to his at 70 then I would claim mine?

Hi. The answer to your question is no, and for multiple reasons. First off, you would have to be drawing either your Social Security retirement or disability (SSDI) benefits in order for your spouse to potentially qualify for spousal benefits. Furthermore, only people born prior to January 2 1954 are allowed to file just for spousal benefits without being required to file for their own benefits at the same time, and even they can only do so if they are FRA or older.

Therefore, even if you were drawing your benefits, if your husband applied for spousal benefits he would also be required to file for his own benefits simultaneously. He could then only be paid essentially the higher of his own benefit rate or his spousal rate, and his benefit amount would be reduced for age if he started drawing prior to full retirement age (FRA).

It sounds like you and your husband should strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully analyze the options available to you so that you can determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry

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Posted: 
Mar 2 2021 - 8:37am
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