why doesnt he just wait until hes at full retirement age to apply? then he can make whatever $ he wants with no penalties

Just wanted to say thx for asking this question, im in almost the same boat (self employed, turning 65 next yr) and was confused about the same thing!

Some important things to know about CIC and survivor benefits that confused me at first: 1) If you work while receiving CIC benefits, there are earnings limits ($22,320 in 2025). Go over that and they reduce your benefit. 2) The children's benefits are NOT affected by your earnings, only yours are. 3) Benefits are paid the month after they're due (so March benefits arrive in April). 4) If the family maximum applies, they'll calculate the total automatically when you apply. 5) Set up direct deposit if possible - it's much more reliable than the debit card option. Hoping this helps with the process. It took me about 2-3 months to get everything sorted out after my spouse passed.

One last thing - you'll need to apply for both benefits separately. The children's survivor benefits AND your CIC benefits. Don't assume they'll automatically give you both when you apply. Be very specific and ask for both types. And yes, unfortunately with your income of $38,000, your personal CIC benefit will be reduced due to the earnings limit, but your children will still get their full benefits. Make sure you clarify all this when you finally get through to someone at SSA.

Something nobody has mentioned yet - if your neighbor's husband dies before she does, her benefit would increase. As a widow, she would be eligible for 100% of what he was receiving (instead of the 50% spousal benefit). This is called the survivor benefit and is another way Social Security protects spouses who have limited work history of their own. Just something to keep in mind about how the program works overall.

Thank you all for the helpful explanations! This makes so much more sense now. It's amazing that married couples can really maximize their benefits this way. My husband and I are both approaching retirement age and I worked part-time for many years, so I'll definitely be looking into whether the spousal benefit might be better for me. Feeling much more confident about our retirement planning now!

Smart approach! One more thing to consider in your decision: If you're still working and plan to continue past age 65, option #3 (waiting until FRA) might be best because you avoid the earnings limit completely. But if you're not working or earning under the threshold, then comparing the actual benefit amounts for options 1 and 2 makes the most sense. And remember that spousal benefits don't earn delayed retirement credits past FRA, so there's no advantage to waiting beyond your FRA of 67.

make sure u ask them about medicare too! you should still sign up for that at 65 even if you delay SS benefits otherwise theres a penalty

Coming back to add one more crucial piece of information: If you do qualify for divorced spouse benefits at 62 and decide to apply, your benefit will be reduced because you're filing before your full retirement age (FRA). The reduction is approximately 0.69% for each month before your FRA. For example, if your FRA is 67 and you file at 62 (60 months early), your benefit would be reduced by about 41.4% from what you would receive at FRA. This reduction is permanent, so it's worth considering whether waiting longer might be beneficial depending on your financial situation. As for estimating the amount without contacting your ex, when you call SSA, they can access your ex's earnings record to provide you with an estimate. As others have mentioned, your ex will not be notified of your inquiry or application.

Thank you all for the helpful information! To summarize what I've learned: 1. I need to wait until I'm 62 (not 60) to apply for divorced spouse benefits 2. My ex needs to be at least 62 but doesn't need to be collecting benefits yet 3. I won't get both SSDI and divorced spouse benefits - just the higher amount 4. Filing at 62 means a permanent reduction compared to waiting until my full retirement age 5. My ex won't be notified if I apply for benefits on his record 6. I can call SSA directly to get an estimate of what I might receive I'll definitely look into calling SSA when I get closer to 62 to see if it's worth applying. I appreciate all your help!

One thing no one has mentioned - make sure you understand how your benefit amount is calculated. Since you're still working full-time at a good salary ($82k), you might actually increase your benefit amount by delaying a few months or even a year. Social Security calculates your benefit based on your highest 35 years of earnings. If you're currently earning more than you did in some of those earlier years (adjusted for inflation), each additional high-earning year can replace a lower year in the calculation. You might want to use the calculators on ssa.gov to see if continuing to work while delaying benefits a bit longer would increase your monthly payment.

Just to add one more piece of information - when you apply, make sure you request the "Restricted Application for Spousal Benefits Only" if you're married and your spouse is already collecting. This option is still available for people born before January 2, 1954. This strategy can sometimes allow you to collect spousal benefits while continuing to let your own retirement benefit grow until age 70.

Another thing nobody mentioned - if your husband delays filing until after his FRA, he'll get delayed retirement credits, but those DON'T increase your spousal benefit! Your spousal is still based on his PIA (the FRA amount), not his increased benefit. Social Security really should make this clearer on their website!!

One more important point: You mentioned you're 63 and already collecting. Since you're still under FRA, if your husband files for his benefits now, you'll be deemed to have filed for spousal benefits simultaneously (this is the deemed filing rule). You'll automatically receive the higher of either your own retirement benefit or your spousal benefit - not both. In your case, since your own benefit is already established and the spousal top-up would just be the difference to bring you up to the spousal rate (reduced for early filing). Make sure to contact SSA once your husband files so they can determine if you're due any additional amount as a spouse.

just wondering did u check ur my social security account online? sometimes u can see if they started processing ur application and what status its in. might help u know how urgent it is to contact them!

One final tip: When you do reach someone at SSA, make sure to get a confirmation number or reference number for your retroactive benefits request. Also ask them to send you a confirmation letter documenting that they've added the retroactive request to your application. This will make it much easier to follow up if there are any issues later.

question - does anyone know if the $3900 PIA includes delayed retirement credits? My husband was 70 when he passed and his PIA and actual benefit were different numbers. The survivor benefit is based on PIA plus DRCs if he claimed after FRA, which made it really confusing for me to figure out.

If $3900 was his actual benefit including delayed retirement credits (not his PIA), then your survivor benefit at FRA would be the full $3900. When taking it early at 61, you'd get approximately 71.5% of that amount - around $2,789. However, given your work income of $55,000, the earnings test would apply until you reach FRA. With your earnings exceeding the 2025 limit by about $33,760, approximately $16,880 would be withheld annually - which might effectively eliminate your survivor benefit until you either reduce your work income or reach FRA. Considering your situation, it might make financial sense to wait until FRA to claim survivor benefits, especially since you're still working full-time.

anyone else notice how ss office workers seem to no nothing about there own rules?? my grandma went in 3 times and got told 3 different things about surviver benefits. finaly the 4th person knew what they were talking about!

Just wanted to follow up - were you able to check your mom's MySocialSecurity account? Curious what you found out and if she was getting the right benefit amount.