Ask Larry

Should I File Now Or At Age 70?

My husband is 67 and is at FRA. He plans to retire at the end of February 2022. I am 63, FRA is 66 years & 8 months. I am self employed & working part time from home, making around $15,000 per year.

I have run the What If reports but now confused if I should think about filing now at under my FRA & continuing to work; (I don't think I would make the over limit amount of $18,960) vs waiting until I reach my full FRA (June 2025) or even 70. I'm confident that we can live on what my husband's Social Security will be but not sure if I should file now, at FRA or at 70 to get the most dollars from Social Security.

I was hoping the report could tell me that and maybe it can but I couldn't figure out how to do it.

Thank you for any guidance you can give me.

Hi. I answer questions submitted by the general public to this website, but I don't have access to our software customers data or results. So, when you say that you've run "what if" reports, I don't know whether or not you are referring reports run using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase).

If you are a subscriber to our software then you should submit your questions using an online contact form in the help menu. That way one of our experts with access to your data can answer your questions and assist you with using the software effectively.

Based on the limited information in your question I would say that the best filing strategy for you and your husband depends largely on your relative primary insurance amounts (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). Our software could help you analyze all of your various options so that you can determine the best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry

Posted: 
Jan 2 2022 - 4:46pm
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