I am 63. If I collected Social Security now, I would get about 1800.00 per month. How could my spouse get the maximum amount, which is 50%? Her amount from her work history would only be about 140.00 per month.
Thank you.

Hi,

Regardless of when you take your benefits, your wife could get a total benefit rate equal to 50% of your full retirement age rate (PIA) if she waits until her full retirement age (FRA) to file for benefits (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/retirechart.html). If she takes benefits before FRA, her rate would be reduced for age. She wouldn't get a higher rate by waiting past FRA to apply, so it would be disadvantageous to do so.

I should add that if you die before your wife, her widow's benefit rate could depend on when you start drawing your benefits. In order to provide her with the highest possible widow's rate, you would want to wait until age 70 to start drawing your retirement benefits. You may want to consider using the maximization software on this site in order to explore your options and determine your best overall filing strategy.

Best, Jerry