I was born in 1952 and my wife was born in June of 1954. We tried to do a restricted application at the SS office this winter and were told yes we could do this but my wife had to file for her benefits in order to go forward. File and suspend was no longer an option supposedly this option expired in 2016? Sorry if this is redundant.

Hi,

Yes, what you were told is essentially correct. Your wife would have to be drawing her benefits in order for you to be able to draw spousal benefits. 'File and suspend' has not been eliminated, but starting with April 30 2016 if a person files for and suspends their benefits then no spousal benefits can be paid on their record for as long as the suspension of benefits continues (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/suspendfaq.html).

You and your wife should strongly consider using our software to explore and compare your various options in order to determine your best overall strategy for claiming your Social Security benefits.

Best, Jerry