When Should my Wife Claim Her Social Security Benefit?
Listen to this episode
Dear Rusty: I just saw an article which said that certain spousal options were going away, but there are still good options for when a spouse can claim. I am filing for my Social Security to start in October when I turn 70. My wife’s full retirement age (FRA) is in December, and she now plans to file then for half of what my FRA benefit would have been (our original plan was for both to file in August). My wife’s main reason for delaying until her FRA is to lock her into my maximum benefit if she has to someday change to Survivor’s Benefit. Will this be gone for us? Neither of us was born before January 1, 1954. Please advise. Signed: Planning for Both
Rusty’s answer in brief
The couple’s plan already gets them the most. The option to claim only a spousal benefit and let one’s own benefit grow ended for anyone born in 1954 or later, but having the husband start at 70 and the wife start her spouse benefit at her full retirement age gives both of them their maximum monthly amounts.
When she claims her spouse benefit has no effect on her future survivor benefit. If she is at full retirement age when he dies, she will receive 100% of what he was being paid. Starting her spouse benefit two months early would cost only about 1.4%, but that reduction would be permanent.
This recording presents the viewpoints of the AMAC Foundation’s Social Security Advisory Staff, trained and accredited under the National Social Security Advisors program of the National Social Security Association, LLC (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation are not affiliated with or endorsed by the United States Government, the Social Security Administration, or any other state government. To request additional information, contact our Advisory Staff at 888-750-2622, or email us at SSAdvisor@AmacFoundation.org.