My husband retired at 65 with 38 years at Amtrak. I want to retire at 60 where I get approximately 1/2 of what he gets from Railroad Retirement. My question is can I do this for 7 years and then switch over to Social Security at age 67? I think I would still be able to get my tier 2 as well as social security?

Hi,

Yes, you can file for Railroad Retirement (RR) benefits without also being deemed to applying for Social Security benefits. You could then apply separately for Social Security benefits whenever to choose to do so.

However, if a person files for both Social Security and RR benefits they can only be paid the higher of their Social Security benefit rate or their Tier 1 RR rate, not both. As you mention, though, drawing Social Security benefits wouldn't have any adverse impact on any Tier 2 RR benefits for which you qualify.

Best, Jerry