My husband is 56 years of age, mandatorily retired from federal service receiving a pension and collecting ssi until age 56. He is currently employed in non-government service and participating in 401k program. He still has his thrift savings account which he has not touched. I am a stay home wife, although I have met ss 40 quarters of employment, I am 57. What is the best strategy, for me to collect at age 62 and my husband at 70? What if he dies before age 70, would I collect half of what his benefit would be at time of death or could I get the spousal benefit of 70 if I waited until what would have been his 70th birthday? Thanks

Hi,

I'm not sure what you mean when you say that your husband is 'collecting SSI until age 56'. He would have to be disabled to be eligible for either Social Security or Supplemental Security Income at his present age.

Anyway, if your husband dies before age 70 and has not started drawing his Social Security benefits, you would be potentially eligible for a widow's benefit equal to 100% of his full retirement age rate. If he dies after reaching his full retirement age, delayed retirement credits would be added to the widow's rate, which would increase it to the amount that he would have received if he had started drawing his benefits effective with the month of death. If you are also entitled to benefits on your own record when your husband dies, the amount payable to you would be the higher of your own benefit amount or your husband's benefit amount.

As for the best filing strategy, that depends on numerous variables. You may wish to run the maximization software available on this website, which is designed to analyze all of your filing options and help you determine the best strategy.

Best, Jerry