Hi Larry: If I file early at 62 will my spouse qualify for an additional spousal benefit? Her current benefit (based upon the WEP) is less than 50% of my projected benefit.

Hi. Your wife could only qualify for spousal benefits in addition to her own benefits if your primary insurance amount (PIA) is more than twice as much as her 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).

Even if your wife would qualify for a spousal benefit, though, if the non-Social Security covered pension she receives is based on her work for a governmental agency (e.g. federal, state, local), then it's probable that any spousal benefit for which she'd otherwise qualify would be offset by 2/3rds of the amount of her government pension. That would be due to the Government Pension Offset (GPO) provision (https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10007.pdf).

Furthermore, filing for your benefits early could also reduce the amount that your wife could qualify for as a widow if you die before her. Our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) is fully programmed to handle computations involving both the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and GPO, so you should strongly consider using our software to analyze your options so that you can determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry