Thanks everyone for the great advice! I think I'm going to go ahead and file now at 62 since we could use the extra income, and it sounds like it won't hurt my husband's benefits when he files at 67. I'm especially relieved about the survivor benefits situation. I'll definitely check out that Claimyr service to get through to SSA - I have a few more questions I'd like to ask them directly.

Just wanted to add one more consideration - have you looked into whether you might qualify for any other benefits while you're researching this? Sometimes people don't realize they might be eligible for things like Medicare Savings Programs or other state assistance that could help with those bills you mentioned. Also, since you're planning to file at 62, you might want to create a my Social Security account online at ssa.gov if you haven't already. You can see your exact benefit estimates there and even apply online, which might be easier than trying to get through on the phone. The online application is pretty straightforward and you can save your progress if you need to gather documents. Good luck with whatever you decide!

I think everyone's overthinking this. You said half his benefit at 62 equals your full benefit at 67, right? So just take yours at 67, enjoy some travel, and when he hits 62 he can decide whether to claim or wait based on your situation then. You don't have to figure out everything now. Life changes, health changes, financial needs change. Just take it one step at a time.

As someone who navigated a similar age gap situation (my husband is 8 years younger), I completely understand your dilemma! We ultimately decided on a phased approach that worked well for us. I claimed at my FRA (67) which gave us a solid income foundation for our early retirement years together. The key insight for us was realizing that while maximizing benefits is important, having guaranteed income earlier allowed us to be more flexible with our other retirement accounts and gave us peace of mind during our most active travel years. One thing that really helped us was creating two different scenarios - one where we prioritized maximum benefits and another where we prioritized lifestyle goals. We mapped out the actual dollar differences and realized the "perfect" mathematical solution only worked if everything went exactly as planned. Real life rarely cooperates! Given your current good health and passion for travel, claiming at 67 seems like a reasonable middle ground. You'll have 4-5 years of benefits before your husband even reaches 62, which should fund quite a bit of travel. And if his earnings record is significantly higher than yours, having him delay claiming (even just to his FRA) could provide better long-term security for both of you.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I checked my my Social Security account and downloaded my benefit verification letter like some of you suggested. It turns out they increased my tax withholding from 10% to 22% without sending me any notice! The COLA increase was applied, but the extra withholding more than wiped it out. I've been trying to call for three days with no luck getting through. I'll try the Claimyr service that was suggested since I really need to get this fixed before next month's payment. I need to submit a new W-4V form to reduce my withholding back to 10%. Really appreciate all the help! I'll update once I get this resolved.

I'm glad you found the issue with your tax withholding! That's a huge jump from 10% to 22% without notice - that would definitely explain the $100 drop even with the COLA increase. Just wanted to add that when you submit your new W-4V form, you can also request that they process it as "urgent" due to financial hardship if that $100 difference is causing you problems with your monthly budget. Sometimes they can expedite the processing. Also, keep copies of everything you submit and get confirmation numbers when possible. If they continue to have problems with sending proper notices, you might want to update your contact information in your my Social Security account to make sure they have your current address and phone number. Hope the Claimyr service works out for you - waiting on hold for hours is just ridiculous when you're trying to fix their mistake!

That's an excellent follow-up question. Claiming her own retirement benefits early would NOT affect potential future survivor benefits on your record. Survivor benefits are indeed calculated separately from retirement benefits. So if she claimed her own retirement at 62 (reduced), and you passed away years later, she could still get the full survivor benefit based on your record (assuming she's at her Full Retirement Age when claiming survivor benefits). This is one of the few situations where benefits are truly independent of each other. The reduction for early filing only applies to the specific benefit being claimed early.

Just wanted to add something important that I learned when my mom was in a similar situation. If your girlfriend has any government pension (federal, state, or local), there's something called the Government Pension Offset (GPO) that could reduce her spousal or survivor benefits from your record by up to 2/3 of her pension amount. This catches a lot of people off guard! Also, if she has substantial earnings from non-Social Security covered employment, the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) might affect her own Social Security benefits. These are definitely things to ask SSA about when you meet with them, especially since you're doing all this planning now. Better to know upfront than be surprised later!

Thank you all so much for the helpful responses! I talked to my sister and it turns out the kids' regular benefits did come in this month - she just didn't notice because they're direct deposited and she was so focused on the funeral arrangements and everything else. She's going to keep an eye out for any letters from SSA about changes to the benefit amount. Really appreciate everyone's advice and reassurance!

So glad to hear everything worked out! It's completely understandable that she missed the direct deposit during such a difficult time. For future reference, she can also set up a my Social Security account online at ssa.gov to track all payments and communications in one place - it's really helpful for keeping tabs on benefit changes without having to call or visit the office. Wishing your family all the best during this transition.