I'm in a situation i haven't seen addressed so want to see if anything could be beneficial. I am female, receiving benefits since age 62 (I am now 68) Spouse is younger, will be 62 this Sept. Is there anything that would help to maximize benefits? What if he starts benefits before 66? Thank you for any suggestions

Hi Elizabeth,
If one half of your spouse's retirement benefit at his/her full retirement age (FRA), aka known as his/her Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), is larger than your PIA, i.e. your retirement benefit at your FRA - not your reduced benefit at age 62, then you would be eligible an excess spouse's benefit equal to 1/2 of his/her PIA minus your PIA when he/she files for his/her retirement benefit. He/she can file anytime from 62 until age 70. Social Security can tell you if you are eligible for an excess spouse's benefit.

If you are eligible for an excess spouse's benefit, then you should run MaximizeMySocialSecurity to see when it's best for your spouse to take his/her retirement benefit, at 62, 66, or 70.

Best,
Mike