My husband will reach full retirement age in july 2020, He would like to start receiving benefits in january 2020 ( december 2019 ) So if his benefits actually start in december2019 how would his 2019 income effect that? What month should he apply for his benefits ? He will be working until march 2020 , so will his working income for 2020 be ok approximately 12,000 from january thru march 2020? Thank You for your help.

Hi,

In order for your husband to be paid his entire reduced benefit payment for December 2019, either a) his earnings for the calendar year of 2019 must be no more than $17,640, or b) his gross wages in the month of December must not exceed $1,470. If he's self-employed, the time he devotes to his trade or business in December could not exceed 45 hours (or 15 hours in certain professions) in December unless his net earnings for the calendar year are $17,640 or less.

Before filing, your husband should strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to explore and compare his options so that he can choose the best possible strategy for claiming his benefits. Also, your husband should be aware that filing for benefits early would limit the amount of your potential widow's rate in the event that your husband dies before you.

If your husband does decide to file effective with December 2019, he can apply any time between August 1st to December 31st of 2019.

Best, Jerry