Hi, I get confused on PIA/FRA. My husband is 88 and has been collecting since he was 64 or 65. He currently receives $1756 before medicare. I will be 66 in October and figure I will start collecting as I continue to work (Will most likely work until age 70 ) My FRA will be $1644. I am thinking it best to collect half of his and hold off on mine until age 70 where mine will jump to $2349. (without COLA) My two questions are: #1. Would my spousal be half of what he is currently collecting? or is it what he collected @ age 65? (FRA?PIA). #2 If I go with this scenario and he passes before I turn 70 would I then be entitled to his full benefit of $1756? Thank you so much. Barbara

Hi Barbara,

FRA is simply an abbreviation for full retirement age, which is age 66 for people born in the years 1943-1954. PIA is the abbreviation for primary insurance amount, which is equal to a person's Social Security retirement benefit rate if they start drawing effective with the month they reach FRA.

If you file for spousal benefits only effective with the month you reach FRA, your spousal benefit rate will be calculated at 50% of your husband's PIA. That could amount to more than half of his monthly benefit rate if he started drawing his benefits prior to FRA. You could then switch to your own Social Security retirement benefit rate at age 70, at which time your rate would be equal to 132% of your PIA. By the way, only people born prior to January 2 1954 are allowed to file for spousal benefits at FRA while letting their own retirement benefit rate to grow by 32% (i.e. 8% per year) until age 70. That might be the best option in your case, but you may want to consider using our software at https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com to make sure that you choose the optimal strategy for claiming your benefits.

If you file for spousal benefits only at FRA and your husband dies before you reach age 70, your spousal benefits will automatically convert to widow's benefits. If your husband started drawing his Social Security retirement benefits at or just before FRA, your widow's rate would likely be equal to his monthly benefit rate at the time of his death. You could still then switch to your own retirement benefits at age 70 if your own rate is higher than your widow's rate.

Best, Jerry