I was born 12/8/1953 and my husband was born 1/13/1954, so we will both be at FRA within a few months. We have been married 40 years. We are interested in taking advantage of the spousal benefit, since I was born before the cutoff for this benefit. I'm not sure which of us needs to file a restricted claim for the spousal benefit and which of us files a regular claim. Thank for your help!

Hi,

You're the only one of the two of you who could file a restricted application for spousal benefits only. Your husband doesn't have that option because he was born after January 1 1954 (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/deemedfaq.html).

However, your husband must elect to start drawing his benefits in order for you to be able to file a restricted application for spousal benefits, and you couldn't file a restricted application for spousal benefits effective with any month prior to the month you reach full retirement age (FRA). Your best filing strategy depends on many different factors, so you and your husband should strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully explore and compare all of your various options so that you can choose the best possible strategy for claiming your benefits.

Best, Jerry