Filing Strategies

If my wife claims at 62, how will that affect her benefit when I die? ( I will not start my benefit for another two years at age 70). Will it be smaller overall because she started at 62. Thanks very much.

Hi,

No, regardless of when your wife starts drawing her own benefits she could receive up to your full benefit amount as a survivor if you die before her. She wouldn't get both her own benefit rate and yours, however, just the higher of the two.

I am 64. I reach full retirement age in July, 2020 and make $175K. My wife reaches full retirement age in March, 2019 and makes $50K. My wife will retire at FRA. I will retire in December, 2019. When should I file for SS to maximize the payout to my spouse? Thanks!

Hi,

I turned 65 on 12/3 this year. Presently unemployed. Full retirement age is 66. If I start receiving social security in February and would go back to work in May, would it benefit to stop receiving benefits in June and restart after I stop work? Can I repay what was paid to me and receive a higher benefit when I reapply for benefits?

Hi,

Hi,

my husband started collecting social security last spring at 66 (his full retirement age) and we got married last month. He's 17 years older than I. And I am wondering if it makes sense for me to pay my husband to stop his benefits and pay back what he got and pay him myself what he would have collected, so that he when 70 can get his highest benefits - and therefor me when I reach my full retirement age - 67 (I was always a low earner). I've heard about a resent study that suggests this might be a good idea, and I have an inheritance to cover this.

Hi Larry,

I’m a 56-year-old widower – had been married for 23 years -- and trying to determine the financial cost of getting re-married before I turn 60.

My plan was to begin collecting at age 60 my widower benefit. It would be about $2,000 a month before it’s reduced by 28.5 percent because I’m claiming early, yielding about $1,400. (Is this correct?) Then, at age 70, I would claim my own benefit, which will be higher – about $2,900 per month.

Hi Larry. Get What's Yours is an excellent resource. I am a Canadian, worked in the US, and eligible for US SS. You book is the first time I learned about spousal benefit and survivor benefit. And, I totally get that I max out my PIA via DRC to age 70yrs. But I have two questions. My situation: born in 59 (FRA 66y10m); wife is 8 months younger and has no USSS PIA; I was disabled in 2003 (a US W2 year) and generated insurable earnings/W2s in 3 years following accident. Two things remain unclear for me.

I am 66 and have not filed for benefits on my record. My wife will be 66 in March and has filed for her benefit. I have filed for a spousal benefit on her record. Her PIA is $441/mo. but having filed 5 months early she will receive $429/mo. My spousal benefit is $220/mo. I plan to delay filing until age 70. My PIA is $2,758/mo. We have a child, disabled before age 22, that will be 37 on Jan 1 of 2019. He receives SSDI (2018 of $900/mo) on his own earnings record and continues to work at below the SSDI monthly maximum. He lives with us.

I was born in 1952 so I have the option of obtaining a spousal benefit provided my spouse files.

• I will be 66 next month, full retirement age.
• I do not currently plan to file until age 70.
• My spouse was born in 1956, is 62 and and can file for reduced benefits now.
• Her benefit at 62 is $891 , at full retirement it’s $1208 and at 70 it’s $1563.

If I understand correctly, if she files now she will get $891 and I will get a spousal benefit of $445. A total of $1337.

I am turning 66 in November and have applied & been approved to receive my SS benefits to begin in a few weeks. My question is, "can my husband, who will be 69 in January 2019 & has not collected SS benefits, apply for "spousal benefits" until he begins collecting his own SS at 70 years old? Will this affect his own SS benefit?

Hi,

I filed for the first time with my spouse about 6 weeks ago (September 21). The SS agency confirmed that our first payments would be seen near the end of December (in 5 weeks).

About a week ago, my spouse passed away which changes the situation. I am currently 66, and my husband was nearly 67 when he passed. His benefits would be higher than mine, so I was thinking that the correct strategy would be to:
- cancel or suspend my filing, and let my account continue to accrue over the next few years
- meanwhile file on my spouse's account