My wife (born 1946) gets a reduced benefit so that at age 70 she supposedly will get an additional 8% a year. She turned 70 in May 2016. I have a simple question; will her benefit now increase automatically or does the SSA need to be notified that she is now 70 years old?

Thanks for the help! Always enjoyed your show on WHYY.

John,
Your wife would only get an increased retiirement benefit at age 70 if she had suspended receipt of retirement benefit and earned delayed retirement credits during suspension. If she did suspend, then Social Security would automatically reinstate receipt of her increased benefit at age 70. If she did not suspend her benefit, then she is not entitled to an increased benefit at age 70.

Best,
Mike