Larry....Help.....I turned 70 years old (July 2016) filed for and began collecting my social security in August 2016. My wife turned 66 in February 2017(last month) born in 1951. Can and should she file a "restricted spousal benefit" application now and draw 50% of my monthly benefit now and then wait till she is 70 to file for her full benefit ? Or is there a better strategy for us to use to maximize our benefits ?? We are not retiring, we both work full-time at least for 2-4 more years. Thanks, we are patiently awaiting your advice. We have your book "Get What's Yours" and have told all our friends about it so they can benefit from your advice too. T H A N K S....Tom

Hi Tom,

Yes, it certainly sounds like your wife should file a restricted application for spousal benefits only effective with the month she turned age 66, and let her own benefit rate grow until age 70. I'm basing that solely on the limited information in your question, though, so you may want to run the maximization software available on this website to be certain.

Best, Jerry