I will turn 66 in December '19. My benefit will be $1700. My wife's benefit is $2600 now, what about the suspension benefit deal? She turns 70 in 2020.

Hi,

You're allowed to voluntarily suspend your Social Security retirement benefits between full retirement age (FRA) and age 70, but it's very unlikely that that would be advantageous in your case. You don't need to file for and suspend your benefits in order to potentially earn delayed retirement credits (DRC). You can earn DRCs simply by waiting past your FRA to claim your retirement benefits.

Furthermore, if a worker voluntarily suspends their benefits after April 29 2016, they couldn't then draw spousal benefits while their own benefits are suspended, nor could their spouse receive spousal benefits on the worker's suspended record (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/suspendfaq.html).

If your wife is already drawing her benefits, it sounds like your best option may be to file a restricted application for spousal benefits only effective with your month of FRA attainment and wait until age 70 to file for your retirement benefits. However, you should strongly consider using our maximization software to compare all of your options in order to make sure to identify the best overall strategy for you and your wife.

Best, Jerry