Based on what you've shared, your own benefit at FRA ($1,850) is actually higher than what you'd get as an ex-spouse benefit (50% of $3,400 = $1,700). And remember that filing at 62 means you'd only get about 70% of either amount. This is a critical point many people miss: SSA doesn't give you both benefits added together. They give you the higher of the two. So in your case, you'd likely just get your own reduced retirement benefit if you file at 62. If you can afford to wait until your FRA or even age 70, your own benefit would grow substantially and almost certainly exceed anything you'd get on your ex's record.

I went through this exact situation about 3 years ago! The key thing to remember is that you CAN file for divorced spouse benefits even if your ex hasn't filed yet, as long as you've been divorced for at least 2 years and he's at least 62 (which you both meet). However, here's what I wish someone had told me: based on your numbers, your own benefit at FRA ($1,850) is actually HIGHER than what you'd get as a divorced spouse benefit (50% of his $3,400 = $1,700). So you'd end up getting your own benefit anyway, not his! My advice? Create that my Social Security account online ASAP to see your exact projections. I was surprised to find that waiting until my FRA made way more sense than filing early, even though I was tempted by the immediate income. The reduction for filing at 62 is pretty steep - you'd only get about 70% of your full benefit amount. Also, don't let the SSA phone struggles discourage you from getting proper information. The online account will give you most of what you need to make an informed decision.

Thanks everyone for clearing this up! So if I understand correctly: 1. SSA uses my highest 35 years of earnings (not 5) 2. They adjust the older earnings for inflation 3. If I don't have 35 years, they use zeros for missing years 4. Working longer could help if I replace lower earning years This changes my retirement planning quite a bit - in a good way! Actually makes me feel better about my situation since my income went down in recent years but I had some good income years in the past.

Great summary Oliver! Just wanted to add one more helpful detail - when you do create your my Social Security account (once the website cooperates!), you'll also see your estimated benefits at different retirement ages. This can help you decide whether it makes sense to work a few extra years to replace some lower-earning years in your calculation, or if you're better off claiming benefits earlier. The tool shows you exactly how much your monthly benefit would increase if you delay retirement, which is really useful for planning.

Since you'll be 65 in April 2025, your Full Retirement Age is actually 67 (for people born in 1960 or later). Keep in mind that claiming at 65 means you'll get approximately 86.7% of your full benefit amount. Also remember that the annual earnings limit for 2025 will likely be around $23,000 if you're under FRA the entire year. Since you'll only have $15,000 in wages that count toward this limit, you should be fine even without considering the pension (which, as others have correctly noted, doesn't count toward the earnings test).

I just wanted to add that you might want to consider timing your retirement strategically around the earnings test. Since you're retiring in March and only working part of the year, SSA uses a monthly earnings test for the first year you retire (if it's more favorable). For 2025, this would be around $1,920 per month. Since you'll be done working by March, any months where you earn under this amount won't count against you - even if your annual total exceeds the yearly limit. This could potentially give you even more flexibility with your early retirement timing!

Just wanted to add one important point that might help others reading this thread - when you're on SSDI and your spouse files for retirement benefits, the SSA is supposed to automatically check if you're eligible for additional spousal benefits. However, this doesn't always happen seamlessly, so it's worth calling to confirm they've done this evaluation. Also, if your husband delays his retirement past his FRA to get delayed retirement credits (which increase his benefit by 8% per year until age 70), this doesn't affect your potential spousal benefit calculation since that's based on his Primary Insurance Amount at FRA, not his actual increased benefit amount. Good luck getting through to SSA - the wait times have been terrible lately!

I went through something very similar when my wife started collecting SSDI and I reached my FRA. One thing that helped us was understanding that even though she wouldn't get additional spousal benefits (her SSDI was already higher than 50% of my PIA), we still benefited from having both our benefits coming in. Also, don't forget to consider the tax implications - depending on your combined income, some of your Social Security benefits might become taxable. It's worth speaking with a tax professional if your total household income is getting close to the thresholds. The survivor benefit situation that others mentioned is definitely something to keep in mind for long-term planning. Hope you're able to get through to SSA soon - maybe try calling right when they open at 8 AM, that sometimes helps with the wait times.

Just want to add something that might help with your decision - you can actually withdraw your Social Security application within 12 months if you change your mind! If you file in January 2025 and then realize the earnings test is making it not worthwhile, you can withdraw your application (as long as it's within 12 months) and repay any benefits you received. Then you could reapply later when it makes more sense. This gives you a bit of a safety net to try it out and see how the numbers actually work in practice. Of course, you'd need to be able to repay any benefits received if you go this route, but it's good to know the option exists! Also, make sure to keep detailed records of all your earnings throughout 2025 - pay stubs, bonus documentation, etc. This will help if there are any discrepancies when SSA does their annual reconciliation.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet that might be relevant for your situation - if you're still working and receiving benefits, make sure you understand how this affects your future benefit calculations too. SSA uses your highest 35 years of earnings to calculate benefits, so if your current $63k salary is higher than some of your earlier working years, continuing to work could actually increase your future benefit amount even beyond the FRA recalculation that Diego mentioned. Also, since you're born in 1959, your FRA is 66 years and 10 months (July 2026), so you'd only be subject to the earnings test for about 18 months if you file in January 2025. Given that the benefits aren't permanently lost and you get credit back at FRA, plus the potential for increasing your benefit calculation through continued high earnings, it might actually make more sense to file than I initially thought when I just looked at that reduced monthly payment of ~$357. The withdrawal option Millie mentioned is definitely a good safety net too. You could essentially test-drive the system for a year and see how it works out in practice!