Spousal Benefits

I will be 66 years old this October and I am still working and not ready to retire yet. I plan to keep working for the next 11/2 to 2 years and don't want to apply for Social Security until I am ready to retire. My husband is 68 years old and retired last year and is collecting Social Security. We have been married for 32 years but have been separated for the last 2 years now. Divorce is in the future but I don't want to pursue that yet until I figure out my rights for spousal benefits.

The changes to SSA apply to this question as I was born in 1956. I began receiving early SS retirement benefits at age 62. I know my benefit is already permanently reduced. My husband is one year older than I am and hopes to begin receiving benefits at his FRA of 66 yrs & 2 mos. If I am correct in understanding that I will be deemed as filing for spousal benefits once he files, I'd like to know how my spousal benefit will be calculated once my husband files.

I am retired and my birth date is 11/28/1953. My wife is retired, does not have enough work credits to file on her own and her birth date is 7/9/1954. I had always planned on waiting until age 70 for both of us to file for social security, but I have been told her maximum is at age 66 since she does not have enough work credits and will need to file for a spousal benefit. I have also been told that in order for he to collect at age 66 I will also need to file for social security and cannot suspend until age 70. Is this true? Will your tool answer these questions for me?

Hi Larry, I am 66 and my wife is 68. She started taking her ss benefit at 62 on her own work record. I am now receiving a spousal benefit (restricted app) and will wait until age 70 to collect on my own record. Question - when I file at age 70 can my wife then switch to a spousal benefit on my record? Her 50% FRA benefit will be much smaller than my 50% FRA benefit. From what I have read, could she get the difference between her 50% FRA benefit and my 50% FRA benefit. Could you please explain how it all works, if at all? Thanking you in advance. Jim

Hello,

My question is as follows. Hoping you can answer it as the folks at the social security office tell me "NO" when I ask them.

Hopefully I can ask this complicated question in a way that you'll understand. Here goes.

I am 68 years old and coming up on 69. My birthdate is October 21,1950.

My wife is 69 and is coming up on 70. She is ten months older than me and was born on Dec.20,1949.

My wife started social security on her 65th birthday at a reduced rate.

My brother blind, he lost his sight in 1982 in a car accident. He does not have 40 credits and he is 68 years old. He collected SSI for a few years and then it was stopped due to some change in the law. His wife is now 66 years of age and filed for social security. According to Social Security, her husband is still not entitled to any benefits. Please advise?

Hi,

My wife and I are both retired and we were both born in 1948. My wife took Social Security at 64 and I took a spousal benefit on her account until I was 70 and then I took my full Social Security. I read that she might be able to apply for something called "spousal supplement" (not "spousal benefit"). I don't know if this would be more than we are now getting. My (husband's) monthly check is $2840 and my wife's check is $1083. Can you shed any light on any benefit from my wife applying for a spousal supplement?

Hi,

I began receiving my SS benefit at 65...i am 77 now....... Muy husband 74 receives his SS benefit also... My benefit is about $600 more... Is my husband entitled to apply for spousal supplement?

Hi,

My wife started collecting SS in 2015 at 63. She now collects $11,532/yr. I started collecting in 2012 at 66. I now collect $27,292/yr. We were told by a financial advisor and an accountant that my wife should qualify for more benefits based on the 50% rule of my benefits being more than double hers. Went to the SS office and spent 1/2 day waiting to see someone who said no and shown us a page of numbers that made no sense. My calculus class in college made more sense.

Hi Larry-- I am currently receiving SSDI. My husband, who will be 64 in August, will be forced into early retirement this summer. Can he receive benefits on my SSDI without triggering deeming for his own retirement? Should he wait till FRA to do so? He would like to postpone taking his own SS Retirement until 70 to maximize his benefits. At full retirement age (I am 61 now) , can I suspend and let my retirement benefit grow until 70 as well?

Hi,