Well, it sure would be nice if, when claiming Social Security, we could turn the clock back and request benefits earlier than today. That sure would be helpful if, for example, someone simply forgot (or was otherwise unable) to claim when they originally planned. And sometimes, just not understanding the rules may cause someone to delay claiming, believing that if they wait longer to claim their benefit will be higher. Point is, there are many nuances to Social Security rules, some of which limit retroactive benefits. Here’s some basic info: one can only request retroactive benefits after they have reached their full retirement age (FRA), and then only up to six months of retroactive benefits. This is particularly important when considering benefit for a spouse, because those benefit reach maximum at full retirement age, and waiting longer won’t change the spousal benefit amount, as explained in this encore edition of Ask Rusty. The written version of our original article can be found here, and if you prefer to listen instead of read, the audio version can be heard here.

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