Wow, I learned so much from this thread! Thank you all for clearing this up. I'm going to tell my buddy at work that he's completely wrong about the 5-year thing before he scares anyone else. I checked my earnings record carefully, and all 42 years of my work history are there. My recent part-time earnings definitely won't be in my highest 35 years, so my benefits won't be affected like I feared. I'm still planning to claim at 62 next March because honestly, I'm ready to be done working. My mortgage will be paid off by then, and I have some savings. Even with the reduction for claiming early, I think I'll be okay.

As someone who just went through this process myself, I can confirm everyone here is absolutely correct - Social Security uses your highest 35 years of earnings, not your last 5 years. I was in a similar situation where I reduced my hours in my late 50s due to health issues and was worried it would tank my benefits. What really helped me was not just looking at the earnings record on ssa.gov, but also understanding that they "index" your older earnings for inflation. So that $15,000 you made in 1985 might be worth $40,000+ in today's calculation. This indexing process ensures your older full-time earnings aren't unfairly penalized compared to recent years. One tip: if you have any years showing zero earnings that you think should show income, definitely contact SSA to get those corrected. Missing or incorrect earnings records can definitely impact your benefit calculation since they need those 35 years of data.

One important correction to what others have said: When you file at 62 for ex-spousal benefits, you'll receive approximately 32.5% of your ex's PIA (not 35%). This is because spousal/ex-spousal benefits at 62 are reduced by 35% from the full 50% you'd receive at your FRA. I'd recommend creating a my Social Security account online if you haven't already. There you can see your estimated retirement benefit. Then call SSA to find out what your ex-spousal benefit would be. Compare both reduced amounts at 62 and both full amounts at your FRA to make an informed decision.

As someone who went through this process recently, I'd strongly recommend getting both benefit estimates before making any decisions. The "breakeven" analysis is crucial - you need to know at what age the higher monthly payment from waiting would make up for the years of missed payments from filing early. Also, don't forget that if you're still working and file at 62, you'll be subject to the earnings test. For 2024, you lose $1 in benefits for every $2 earned over $22,320. This might make filing early less attractive if you're planning to keep working full-time. One strategy some people use is to file a restricted application at FRA if eligible, but the rules around this changed in 2016 and it's quite complex. Definitely worth discussing with an SSA representative to understand all your options.

I'm in a similar boat with my UK pension and US Social Security situation! From what I've learned through my own research and conversations with SSA, you're actually in a relatively favorable position with 29 years of substantial earnings. The WEP reduction at your level should only be about 10% of the maximum reduction (roughly $63/month in 2025), which is much more manageable than what people with fewer qualifying years face. The totalization agreement between the US and Germany is fantastic for helping you qualify for benefits in both countries and ensuring your years of coverage count toward eligibility, but it doesn't eliminate WEP entirely - that's a common misconception I had initially too. What really matters for WEP is specifically your US substantial earnings years. My biggest recommendation would be to request your complete earnings record from SSA to verify that all 29 years actually meet the substantial earnings threshold for their respective years. These thresholds have increased over time, so some years from earlier in your career might not qualify even if they seemed like good earnings at the time. Also, if there's any way you can structure some US-based remote work or consulting to reach that magical 30th year of substantial earnings, it would completely eliminate WEP for you forever. Even part-time work that gets you above the substantial earnings threshold ($31,275 for 2025) would do the trick. Good luck with your retirement planning!

I'm in a very similar situation with my Italian pension! Just wanted to add another perspective from someone who went through this process recently. With your 29 years of substantial US earnings, you're in much better shape than most people facing WEP - the reduction should be minimal as others have mentioned (around $60-70/month). One thing I learned that might help: when you do contact SSA, specifically ask them to run a "totalization calculation" alongside the standard WEP calculation. Sometimes the totalization method can result in a higher benefit than the WEP-reduced amount, and SSA is supposed to give you whichever calculation is more favorable. Not all representatives know about this, so you might need to ask specifically. Also, regarding the remote work idea that others mentioned - I was able to structure some freelance work through a US payroll company while living in Italy, which allowed me to pay into Social Security. It's definitely worth exploring if you can get that 30th year! The paperwork was a bit complex but completely eliminated WEP for me. Good luck with everything - the international benefit coordination is confusing but you're asking all the right questions!

good luck with it all!! one more thing i forgot - when you apply online print or save EVERYTHING before you submit!!! i lost half my confirmation info and had to call and wait forever to get it sorted out.

Welcome to the community! I just went through a very similar situation last year at 66 and 8 months. A couple additional tips from my experience: 1) Double-check your earnings calculation for those pre-FRA months. I made the mistake of looking at gross vs net and almost panicked thinking I'd exceed the limit. 2) For Medicare Part A enrollment - the online application will specifically ask "Do you want to apply for Medicare?" and you can select "Part A only" with a checkbox. It's clearer than I expected. 3) Timeline-wise, I submitted my application about 6 weeks before my FRA birthday and everything processed smoothly. The key is giving them enough time but not so early that you create confusion. 4) One thing others haven't mentioned - make sure your husband knows he can't apply for spousal benefits until YOUR benefits are actually approved and in payment status. We tried to time it perfectly and had to wait an extra few weeks. The hospital employment should make the Medicare coordination pretty straightforward since you'll have creditable coverage. Good luck with everything!

I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago! Like you, I started my benefits at 62 and was getting around $1,200/month while my husband's benefit was much higher. Here's what I learned: You definitely need to apply for spousal benefits - it's not automatic. I made an appointment at my local SSA office (much better than trying to call) and brought our marriage certificate, both of our award letters, and our Social Security cards. The spousal benefit calculation was confusing, but basically I now get my original $1,200 plus an additional $340/month as the "spousal add-on." It's not a huge increase, but over a year that's over $4,000 extra, which really helps with our expenses. One tip: ask them to calculate your potential spousal benefit during your appointment so you know exactly what to expect. They can run the numbers right there and tell you if it's worth applying. The whole process took about 6 weeks from application to seeing the first increased payment. Don't get discouraged by the complexity - it's worth pursuing even if the increase seems small!

I'm in a similar situation and have been researching this extensively! One thing I learned that might help is that you can actually check your potential spousal benefit amount online before applying. If you create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov, you can view your Social Security Statement which shows your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). Your husband can do the same with his account. Once you have both PIA amounts, you can get a rough estimate: if 50% of his PIA is more than your PIA, then you might be eligible for a spousal add-on. But remember, since you claimed at 62, your spousal benefit will be reduced to about 32.5-35% of his PIA instead of the full 50%. For example, if your husband's PIA is $2,400 and yours is $1,600, then 50% of his ($1,200) is less than your full benefit ($1,600), so you wouldn't qualify for spousal benefits. But if his PIA is higher, you might get something. The online account also lets you see if SSA has already processed any spousal benefits for you automatically. Worth checking before you spend time making appointments!