Larry,
I turned 66 last June. My wife turned 64 last month (Sep 2017). We both currently work full time. We will both retire sometime in 2018. I filed for a Restricted application for spousal benefits. My wife filed for her SS benefits at the same time. So we both filed for benefits starting in Oct 2017. I got a call from SS office saying I could not receive any benefit now (spousal benefit) because my wife would not be receiving any SS benefit this year because she has already made too much money this year. They stated I would have to wait til 2018, file in January and start receiving benefits in Feb 2018. Is this correct? Thanks... dgb

Hi dgb,

Probably. I would need your benefit rates and the amount of your wife's 2017 earnings to know for sure, but if 50% of the amount that your wife earns in excess of $16,920 this year amounts to more than your and her combined benefits for the months October through December, then you wouldn't be due any payments for 2017 (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/whileworking2.html).

You might want to consider using the maximization software on this website to explore your filing options to see if there are better choices available to you and your wife.

Best, Jerry