My spouse and I were both born in 1948. She started her social security benefits at age 62 after she retired. I am Over seventy and started taking my full benefits at 70, although I am still working part time. I took your advice and filed for 1/2 of her benefit amount when I turned 66, which was my full retirement age and did not switch to my own benefits until age 70. My question is this:

Can my spouse now now claim the difference between her benefits and 1/2 of my benefits which is several hundred dollars a month?

Hi,

No. Your wife could apply for spousal benefits, but she'll only be eligible if 50% of your primary insurance amount (PIA) is more than her own PIA. A person's PIA is equal to their Social Security retirement benefit rate if they start drawing their benefits at full retirement age (FRA). Furthermore, since your wife started drawing her benefits early, the resulting reduction for age applied to her benefit rate would continue even if she's eligible for additional spousal benefits.

Your wife can't switch from drawing her own benefits to drawing just spousal benefits instead. Once you file for your own Social Security retirement benefits, that becomes your primary benefit for life. If you later become eligible for a higher benefit rate on someone else's account, you continue to be paid your own benefit plus a partial benefit from the other account.

For example, say Amy filed for her benefits at age 62. Amy's primary insurance amount (PIA), or full retirement age rate, would be $1,000, but Amy's rate is reduced for age to $750. Five years 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 3 times as much as Amy's rate (i.e. $2640 vs. $750), Amy isn't eligible for any spousal benefits because Bill's PIA isn't more than twice as much as Amy's PIA. If Amy applied for spousal benefits, her unreduced spousal rate would be calculated by subtracting her PIA from 50% of her husband's PIA, which in Amy's case is zero (i.e. $2000/2 - $1000).

Best, Jerry