Question, If My spouse is at full SSI benefits soon, But I'm not for a few more years. And I claim spousal SSI for the 50% Will That Lower their return , or SSI check 50% as well? for instance say they get $1000 a month and i ask for the $500, does their $1000 get reduced to $500 as well? Or does it not affect their pay?

Hi. By 'SSI' I assume you're referring to Social Security benefits, not Supplemental Security Income. SSI is the abbreviation normally used to describe Supplemental Security Income, and Supplemental Security Income doesn't pay spousal benefits.

If you're able to qualify for spousal benefits based on your wife's Social Security earnings history, it wouldn't affect your wife's benefit payment amount. Social Security auxiliary benefits (e.g. spousal, child) are paid in addition to the worker's benefit, they aren't deducted from the worker's benefit.

I should mention, though, that if you were born after January 1 1954 you can't claim spousal benefits without claiming your own benefits at the same time. So, the only way that you could be eligible for spousal benefits is if your wife's primary insurance amount (PIA) is more than twice as much as your PIA. A person's PIA is equal to their Social Security retirement benefit rate if they start drawing their benefits at full retirement age (FRA).

You and your wife 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