My wife was born in 1952, and I was born in 1955. My wife has been collecting Social Security benefits on her own record since she turned 66 (FRA) 2 years ago. I will be turning 66 years and 2 months (FRA) soon, and just applied for my social security benefits, which are considerably higher than my wife's.

Does my wife have to file some kind of application to collect based on spousal benefit, or will Social Security automatically adjust her payment to the higher amount when I start to receive my payments? Thanks.

Hi,

No, entitlement to spousal benefits isn't automatic. Your wife would need to file an application in order to claim spousal benefits. And, since she's already drawing her own benefits she won't be able to file for spousal benefits online. Your wife will need to call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 in order to initiate the application process. Just to be clear, though, your wife will only qualify for spousal benefits if 50% of your primary insurance amount (PIA) is higher than her own PIA. A person's PIA is equal to their Social Security retirement benefit rate if they start drawing their benefits at full retirement age (FRA).

You may want to strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully analyze the options available to you in order to determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry