I have started the process to apply for Spousal Social Security. I will be 62 in November. I've read that if I'm caring for a disabled child I can apply at any age. Is that correct? I'm being told now that my benefits will be reduced and probably eliminated because of my provincial pension I receive here in Canada. Just looking for some clarification. Thanks

Hi. That's quite a bit to unpack. Assuming that your spouse is drawing Social Security retirement or disability benefits and If the disabled child you're caring for is eligible for benefits on your spouse's account, then yes you could potentially qualify for a spousal benefit that's unreduced for age even before you reach age 62. But, the child would either need to be a) under age 16, or b) disabled due to a mental impairment, or c) disabled due to a physical impairment that requires you to perform personal services for the child (e.g. assistance with bathing or dressing or eating). Otherwise, taking spousal benefits prior to full retirement age (FRA) results is a benefit rate that's reduced for age.

Your spousal benefit could still be fully or partially offset, however, if you're receiving a pension that's based on your work for a governmental agency in the U.S. that didn't withhold Social Security taxes on your earnings. But, if the only pension you receive is from your work in Canada, that wouldn't cause your U.S. Social Security spousal benefits to be offset. If you were told that your Canadian pension would make you ineligible for spousal benefits because of the Government Pension Offset (GPO) provision, that's inaccurate. Foreign pensions are excluded from causing a person's spousal or survivor benefits to be offset due to GPO (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0202608400).

There is also a family maximum benefit (FMB) that can be paid out per month on a worker's record, so even if you qualify for an unreduced spousal benefit your rate could be reduced due to the FMB if there is already a child collecting benefits. It sounds like you may want to strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully analyze the options available to you in order to determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry