My wife was born in 1949, She began her SS on her work record at age 62. I began mine at max age. Here SS is less than one half of mine. Does she qualify for 'restricted application' to make the difference between her SS and one half of mine? E.g., she=$500; me=$2000. May she apply for additional $500 thereby equaling one half of my SS?

Hi. No. You can't file a restricted application for spousal benefits if you're already drawing your own benefits, nor can you stop collecting your own benefits and apply for spousal benefits instead.

If your wife applies for spousal benefits her spousal rate would be calculated by subtracting her full primary insurance amount (PIA), not her reduced benefit rate, from 50% of your PIA. So, your wife could only qualify for additional spousal benefits if your PIA is more than twice as much as 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).

Best, Jerry