My wife was born in 1955 and I was born in 1954. Her income is significantly less than mine and her spousal benefit will be greater than her own benefit. Under the new regulations can she file for her normal benefits at her FRA and gain the incremental spousal benefit if I defer filing until age 70? I understand that her spousal benefit would be limited to 50% of my FRA, but see a value in deferring my own SS claim.

Hi,

Yes, and if your wife's own retirement benefit rate would be less than 50% of your full retirement age rate (PIA) even if she waited until age 70 to start drawing, then she would not want to wait past her full retirement age to file for her own retirement benefits. Your wife could then file for additional spousal benefits when you subsequently start drawing your benefits, and her spousal benefit rate would be calculated by subtracting her PIA from 50% of your PIA.

You and your wife may want to consider using our maximization software to make sure that you've identified your best overall filing strategy.

Best, Jerry