Just wanted to chime in as someone who works in benefits administration (not SSA, but similar federal program). The folks above are absolutely correct - COLA increases apply to ALL current beneficiaries regardless of when you started receiving benefits. It's actually one of the most straightforward aspects of Social Security! One small tip: when you do start receiving benefits in October 2025, I'd recommend setting up a my Social Security account at ssa.gov if you haven't already. You'll be able to see your payment history, download your benefit verification letters, and most importantly, you can see exactly how the COLA increase affects your benefit amount in real-time when it gets applied in January 2026. Good luck with your retirement planning! It sounds like you're being very thoughtful about the timing and budget considerations.

I just wanted to add something that might be helpful for your planning - when you do get that COLA increase in January 2026, remember that it might also affect your Medicare Part B premium if you're enrolled in Medicare. The standard Part B premium is typically deducted directly from your Social Security benefit, and sometimes the premium increases can offset part of your COLA increase. For 2025, the standard Part B premium is $185 per month, but they usually announce the following year's premium amount around the same time as the COLA announcement in October. So when you're calculating your net benefit increase for January 2026, you'll want to factor in any potential Medicare premium changes too. Just something to keep in mind since you mentioned you're trying to budget for next year! The good news is that even with Medicare premium adjustments, you typically still come out ahead with the COLA increase.

I finally got through to SSA today! The agent told me my husband's PIA (what he would get at his FRA) is about $3,750, and half of that is $1,875. Since my benefit is $1,580, I qualify for an additional $295 per month in spousal benefits! They're processing it now and said I'll get retroactive payments to when I reached FRA. I'm so glad I asked about this - thank you everyone for your help!

Wow, this is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation - I'm 66 and my husband is 68, both collecting our own Social Security. I never even thought about spousal benefits since we're both already getting our own checks. Reading through all these responses makes me realize I should probably check into this too. Does anyone know if there's a time limit on how long after you start collecting your own benefits you can apply for additional spousal benefits? I've been on Social Security for about 8 months now.

My brother is disabled and gets SS benefits. When my mom switched her benefits it didn't affect him at all so I think you're worrying too much. But the system is SO BROKEN you should expect problems anyway!!! It took them FOREVER to process my disability claim!!!

I went through this exact situation 6 months ago when I turned FRA. I was receiving spouse benefits while caring for my disabled adult daughter who gets DAC benefits on my husband's record. I was so nervous about potentially disrupting everything, but I'm glad I applied for my own retirement benefits - I ended up getting an extra $180/month! Here's what actually happened: I applied online about 2 months before my FRA birthday. SSA automatically compared my potential retirement benefit to my current spouse benefit and switched me to the higher amount. My daughter's benefits continued without any interruption whatsoever. One tip that really helped me: when I filled out the online application, I wrote in the remarks section "Currently receiving spouse benefits while caring for disabled adult child. Please compare to retirement benefit and pay higher amount." This made it crystal clear what I wanted them to do. The whole process took about 6 weeks and I received a letter explaining the comparison and my new benefit amount. Don't let the horror stories scare you too much - most cases go smoothly, you just don't hear about those online!

One final tip - when you go to your appointment, ask them to show you a benefit comparison between filing for your own benefits only versus filing for the combination of yours plus ex-spouse benefits. In rare cases, it might actually be more advantageous to file a restricted application for just the ex-spouse benefits and let your own benefit continue to grow until age 70. The rules changed in 2015, but some people born before 1954 still have this option.

Another thing to keep in mind - if you remarried after your divorce, you generally can't claim benefits on your ex-husband's record unless that subsequent marriage ended (either by divorce, death, or annulment). Since you didn't mention remarrying, this probably doesn't apply to you, but it's worth noting for others in similar situations. Also, your ex-spouse benefits won't affect his benefits at all - he'll still receive his full amount regardless of what you collect. Good luck with your appointment!

One more thing to consider - when your spouse does reach retirement age, you should definitely reapply for spousal benefits even if you think the GPO might eliminate them. The calculations are complex, and depending on the size of their pension versus their Social Security benefit, you might still get some additional amount. Also, keep in mind that the rules for disability benefits can differ from retirement benefits in terms of how they interact with spousal benefits. Make sure when you contact SSA you specifically mention you're on SSDI, not retirement benefits, as this changes how certain provisions apply.

I'm dealing with a similar situation but from a slightly different angle - my spouse has been on SSDI for 8 years and I work for the state (pension system). We're trying to plan ahead for when I retire in about 10 years. One thing our benefits counselor mentioned that might apply to your situation: even though your spouse switched to a pension-only job, those earlier 18-20 years of SS contributions don't disappear. They'll still factor into any future Social Security retirement benefit calculation, just reduced by WEP if applicable. Also, regarding SSI - it's worth asking about even though you're married. SSI has income and asset limits, but they do consider your household situation. With your SSDI being so low and depending on your spouse's income, you might qualify for some supplemental amount. The worst they can say is no, but it could potentially help bridge that gap until your spouse reaches retirement age. Have you considered contacting your local Area Agency on Aging or disability advocacy organization? They often have benefits counselors who specialize in these complex multi-program situations and can walk through the scenarios with you for free.