Hi. Are there any reasons I should switch from getting my spousal benefit to my own benefit? The Story: At my FRA (age 66, in 2016) I took a spousal benefit, and have been gathering DRCs on my own benefit. I'll be age 70 later this year, but MMSS calculations show that, even with the DRCs thru age 70, my own benefit amount will still be less than my currently-received spousal benefit. My understanding is that, if I did switch from my current spousal-only benefit to applying to receive my own benefit at age 70, SSA would still pay me the same amount I am currently receiving (calculated as: my benefit, inclusive of 4 years of DRCs + a small amount of "excess" spousal benefit). So, are there any advantages/reasons I should consider at age 70 for switching from receiving my current spousal benefit to, instead, receiving my own benefit that includes the DRCs + excess spousal? Thanks for the help!

Hi,

No, if your own age 70 benefit rate would be less than your spousal rate then you wouldn't receive a higher total benefit amount if you file for your own benefits. The only way that it might be beneficial to file for your own benefits would be if you had other family members who are eligible for benefits and the family maximum benefit (FMB) was involved. But, if it's just you and your wife getting benefits on her account then the FMB wouldn't be a factor, so it sounds like you wouldn't gain anything by filing for your own benefits.

Best, Jerry