my sister tried doing the thing where she only filed for spousal and they AUTOMATICALLY filed her for her own benefits too even though she told them not to. she was so mad! but the SSA person said the law changed and they had no choice. this was in 2020.

As someone who just went through this process last year, I can confirm what others are saying about the deemed filing rules. My wife and I had the exact same confusion! One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned much - make sure you get your benefit estimates updated from SSA before making your final decision. The $2,950 and $2,250 estimates you mentioned might have changed based on recent earnings or COLA adjustments. Also, consider creating accounts on ssa.gov for both of you if you haven't already. You can run "what if" scenarios there to see exactly how different claiming strategies would affect your monthly benefits. It really helped us visualize the trade-offs. The strategy of having your husband file at FRA while you wait until 70 is solid given your numbers, especially with family longevity on your side. Just remember that once you make the decision, you generally can't change it (except for a limited withdrawal option within 12 months). Good luck with your planning!

One additional planning consideration: When you sell your business, will it be a lump sum or structured payout? If it's a lump sum, that year might have very high income and potentially cause more of your Social Security to be taxable if you're already collecting. Another reason delaying could be beneficial in your situation - you can coordinate the timing of the business sale and Social Security start to minimize overall taxation. Up to 85% of your SS benefits can be subject to income tax depending on your combined income.

As someone new to this community, I'm really impressed by the depth of knowledge shared here! Your strategy sounds very sound given your circumstances. One thing I'd add that I learned from my own research is to also consider the impact of Medicare premiums (IRMAA) when coordinating your business sale with Social Security timing. High income years can increase your Medicare Part B and D premiums for up to two years later. Since you're planning a lump sum business sale, delaying SS until after that transaction could help minimize both income taxes on SS benefits AND avoid higher Medicare premiums down the road. It's yet another piece of the puzzle that reinforces your approach of waiting until 70.

Just remember that these webinars are designed to give you the BARE MINIMUM information! They DON'T tell you about all the loopholes and special filing strategies that could get you thousands more in benefits. My financial advisor showed me how to optimize my benefits in ways the SSA never mentioned. They're not going to tell you how to maximize your payout!

I attended the webinar about 6 months ago when I was 62 and considering early retirement. It's definitely worth the hour, especially if you're new to Social Security planning like I was. They do a good job explaining the relationship between your full retirement age and benefit amounts, and the breakeven analysis for early vs delayed filing was eye-opening. One thing I found particularly useful was their explanation of how continuing to work affects your benefits - both the earnings test limits and how additional earnings can potentially increase your benefit amount if they're higher than previous years in your top 35. My advice: attend with specific questions ready. The Q&A portion was where I learned the most, including details about Medicare enrollment timing that I hadn't considered. Even though it's basic level, it gives you a solid foundation to build on when you start diving deeper into your personal strategy.

Update: After following everyone's advice, I finally got through most of this process! The Canadian pension office had a specific international benefits department that processed my request in 2 weeks instead of 6. I sent everything certified mail to SSA and followed up regularly. My benefit is now being processed with only a partial WEP reduction thanks to my 23 years of US work. Thanks everyone for your help navigating this complicated mess!

Congratulations on getting through this! Your experience is really helpful for others facing similar situations. I'm dealing with a similar WEP issue but with a UK pension. Quick question - when you contacted the Canadian pension office's international benefits department, did you need any special reference numbers or just your regular pension information? Also, did SSA give you any paperwork showing exactly how they calculated your partial WEP reduction? I want to make sure I can verify their math when my case gets processed.

so confused lol. why would SSA let us do this? seems like theyd have to pay out more money this way

This is such valuable information! I had no idea this option existed for divorced surviving spouses. I'm 58 and my ex-husband passed away two years ago after we were married for 12 years. I've been dreading the thought of claiming early and getting reduced benefits, but it sounds like I could potentially claim survivor benefits at 60 and then switch to my own higher benefit at 70. Does anyone know if there are any earnings restrictions while collecting survivor benefits? I'm still working full-time and won't be ready to fully retire for several more years.