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im confused - i thought you HAD to file for spousal benefits??? my neighbor gets a spousal benefit from her husband's record but she had to specifically ask for it when she went to the ss office
Your neighbor may have been grandfathered into the old rules. For people born before January 2, 1954, they could choose to take only spousal benefits while letting their own retirement benefit grow. But due to changes from the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, anyone born January 2, 1954 or later is subject to deemed filing, meaning they automatically apply for all benefits they're eligible for when they file. The SSA will pay whichever benefit amount is higher, but not both.
Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I feel much better now understanding that my decision to file at my FRA won't negatively impact my husband's future benefits. I'll definitely check my earnings record as suggested and make sure everything is accurate before I submit my application. I appreciate all of your insights and personal experiences!
You're welcome! One last tip: when you do apply, print out your application confirmation page and keep records of everything. It's also good practice to check your bank account around the expected deposit date to make sure your payment arrives as scheduled. Your first payment should arrive the month after your birthday month (so August, in your case).
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Maybe this is a stupid question but why not just apply for SSI if SSDI isnt gonna work out? At least youd get something AND medicaid which helps with all the cancer treatment costs. Thats what my cousin did when he couldnt get SSDI cuz he hadnt worked in years.
That's not a stupid question at all! You're absolutely right that SSI might be an option if SSDI doesn't work out. However, there are some important differences: 1. SSI payments are generally lower than SSDI (maximum of $943/month for individuals in 2025) 2. SSI has strict asset limits of $2,000 for individuals 3. SSDI has no asset limits and payment amounts are based on your prior earnings 4. After 24 months on SSDI, you qualify for Medicare Ideally, OP should pursue both paths - try to establish an onset date for SSDI that falls before their Date Last Insured expired, while also continuing with the SSI application as a backup plan. That's likely why SSA is processing both.
Just wanted to add - make sure you tell SSA about ALL of your medical conditions, not just the cancer. If your disability claim goes back to 2012, they need to know everything that contributed to your inability to work back then. Many successful disability claims involve multiple conditions that combined make working impossible.
That's an excellent point. I have several chronic conditions besides the cancer that started back in 2012-2013. I'll make sure to document all of them and find my old medical records. Thank you!
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did u check if u qualify for spousal benefits? might get more that way depending on what ur spouse earned
I'm divorced (after 20 years of marriage) and never remarried. My ex made about the same as me income-wise. I know I can claim on his record since we were married over 10 years, but I think my own benefit would be higher? Not sure how to compare them.
To answer your question about seeing which 35 years SSA uses: Unfortunately, the my Social Security portal doesn't show exactly which years they're using in the calculation. They take your highest 35 years after indexing them for inflation (older earnings get adjusted upward). Regarding your divorce situation: You can claim on your ex-spouse's record if you were married 10+ years and haven't remarried. You'd get 50% of their FRA benefit amount if that's higher than your own benefit. With similar earnings histories, your own benefit is likely higher, but it's worth checking with SSA. And yes, the delayed retirement credit is 8% per year after FRA until age 70, so waiting from 66+6mo to 70 would give you about a 28% larger monthly benefit for life.
Thank you so much for the detailed explanation! This has been incredibly helpful. I think I'll schedule an appointment with the SSA to go over all these options before making my final decision.
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I recommend getting a detailed benefit estimate from SSA before making any decisions. When I was getting disconnected repeatedly trying to call them, I found Claimyr (claimyr.com) was worth it to get connected. Their service got me through to an actual person who pulled up all my numbers and walked me through different scenarios. The video on their site shows exactly how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Made a huge difference to have accurate numbers to work with.
Did you find they gave you different information than what was in your online account? I've been trying to help my brother with his disability application and we can't tell if the estimates online are accurate.
I'm a retired SSA claims specialist, and I want to clarify something important: Your husband being on SSDI prior to death actually works in your favor. Since SSDI payments are calculated as if the person had reached full retirement age (regardless of actual age), his benefit amount wasn't reduced. This means your survivor benefit will be based on his full SSDI amount. Regarding your strategy - yes, it's perfectly allowable to take your own reduced retirement at 62 and switch to survivor benefits at your FRA. However, based on what you've shared, you should calculate whether taking survivor benefits early (as young as 60) and then switching to your own benefit at 70 might give you more money over your lifetime. This depends on your own earnings record and life expectancy. Also, don't overlook the potential for the Lump Sum Death Payment of $255 if you haven't already claimed it. And be aware that remarriage before age 60 would affect eligibility for survivor benefits. I'd recommend scheduling an appointment with your local office specifically for a WEP/GPO determination to ensure there are no surprises related to pensions that might affect your benefits.
Thank you for this expert insight! I didn't realize my husband's SSDI being calculated at FRA rates would benefit me this way. I'll definitely ask about running calculations for both strategies (my reduced benefit first vs. survivor benefit first) to see which maximizes my lifetime amount. I've already received the lump sum death payment, but I appreciate you mentioning it for others who might be reading this thread.
Gabriel Graham
When I was figuring all this out last year I made a spreadsheet with different income scenarios to see how much more tax I'd pay on my benefits at different income levels. It was eye-opening! Even though there's no benefit reduction after FRA, the tax bite can be significant if you have a good job. Worth doing the math before you decide how much to work.
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James Martinez
•That's a really smart idea about creating a spreadsheet. I'm going to do that this weekend to see exactly how different income levels might affect my overall situation. Better to know in advance than be surprised at tax time!
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Alexander Zeus
my cousin kept working full time after FRA and his benefit went up like $75/month after two years... not life changing but hey free money right?? lol
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