Larry,
Wife born in 55. My understanding is that we are a year too late to file for her spousal then switch to her own at seventy. Is this correct? I waited 'til seventy, she is sixty three. Thank you Larry. RP

Hi,

Yes, that's correct. Since your wife was born after January 1 1954, she could never apply for spousal benefits without also filing for her own retirement benefits (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/deemedfaq.html).

Your wife's best filing strategy depends largely on the amount of her retirement benefit rate as it relates to your benefit rate. She may want to strongly consider using our software to compare her options so that she can choose the best possible strategy for claiming her benefits.

Best, Jerry