My husband will be 64 in March 2020, and I will be 64 in May 2020. I am considering taking my SS April or May of 2020. If I take mine early I understand that it will be reduced. But when he takes his, at FRA (66& 4 mos.) can I then switch to spousal and still get 50% of his FRA amount, or will my spousal benefits also be reduced because I took mine early? I get different answers on this question

Hi,

No, you cannot take your own benefits early and then switch to getting a full 50% of your husband's full retirement age (FRA) rate, which is more correctly called his primary insurance amount (PIA), when you reach FRA. If you file for your benefits at age 64, you'll be deemed to be filing for both your own Social Security retirement benefits and for spousal benefits. In that case at least your own benefit rate will be permanently reduced for age, and any spousal benefits that you may qualify for will also be reduced for age if your husband starts drawing before you reach FRA.

For example, say Jane files for her benefits at age 64. Jane's PIA is $800, but she receives a reduced rate of $690 in return for starting her benefits early. Jane's husband's PIA is $2000, and he files for his benefits when Jane is age 65. Jane's unreduced excess spousal benefit would be calculated by subtracting her PIA from 50% of her husband's PIA, which in her case is $200 ($2000/2 - $800). However, since Jane is not yet FRA when her husband files her excess spousal rate would be reduced for age to roughly $180. That would then be added to Jane's own reduced retirement rate to give her a combined benefit of $870 (i.e. $690 + $180).

You and your husband should strongly consider using our software to explore and compare all of your options so that you can choose the filing strategy that you feel would work out best in your case.

Best, Jerry