Hi.

I'm trying to maximize my benefit. I'm not sure which way I should go. Maybe you can advise. I'm deaf. I plan to apply for SSDI now. I'm 60 and my ex husband is 58. My ex husband earns significantly more than me. I'm sure his benefit will be significantly more than mine. Should I apply SSDI now then apply for SS benefit at 62 under my account then apply for the divorced spousal benefits at the full retirement age? Or apply SSDI now and stay with it until my and his full retirement age then file for the divorced spousal benefits? Please advise me which way I should go to maximize the most amount money benefit. Thank you.

Hi. You should probably apply for Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits as soon as you can qualify. In addition to being medically classified as disabled, to be able to qualify for SSDI you can't be earning more than the amount Social Security considers to be substantial gainful activity (SGA). In 2022, SGA for non-blind individuals is anything over $1350 per month.

If you qualify for SSDI benefits, your benefit amount will be equal to your primary insurance amount (PIA). That's the same amount that you'd get if you started drawing Social Security retirement benefits at full retirement age (FRA). So, receiving SSDI benefits is like getting your full unreduced retirement benefit early.

However, if you apply for Social Security retirement benefits or divorced spousal benefits prior to FRA your benefit rate will be reduced for age. To get your maximum possible monthly benefit amount you'd want to collect SSDI benefits until FRA if possible, at which point your benefits would convert to regular unreduced Social Security retirement benefits. You could also apply for an unreduced divorced spousal benefit at FRA, but you'll only qualify for divorced spousal benefits if 50% of your ex-spouse's PIA is more than your own PIA.

You could also voluntarily suspend your benefits from FRA until age 70 to earn delayed retirement credits (DRC). However, if you're eligible for divorced spousal benefits then any increase in your retirement benefit amount would offset your divorced spousal amount dollar for dollar. So, suspending your benefits may not actually increase your total benefit rate if you do in fact qualify for divorced spousal benefits.

You should strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully analyze and compare all of your various options so that you can determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry