Back to the original question - one thing no one mentioned is that if your husband filed for spousal benefits before 70, he wouldn't even get the full spousal amount because he'd be filing early for his spousal benefit. So not only would he permanently reduce his own benefit, but the spousal benefit for those 5 months would be reduced too. Double penalty!

Thanks everyone for your helpful responses! I think we have our answer - my husband should just wait until he turns 70 in September 2025 to file for his benefits and not try to get spousal benefits during those 5 months. It's disappointing that we can't take advantage of this small window, but I understand it's more important to maximize his lifetime benefit. I appreciate all the information!

my mom did exactly what ur talking about! she took her own benefit at 62 (it was like $1450/month) and then when she hit full retirement age she switched to my dads survivor benefit which was around $2200. worked out great for her. the social security people actually suggested it when she went in to apply after dad died.

One thing nobody's mentioned - you should create your my Social Security account online if you haven't already. You can see estimates of both your own benefit and your survivor benefit there. Makes it much easier to compare numbers and figure out the best strategy. Plus you can actually apply online which avoids the nightmare phone system.

my wife's friend said if you work after getting benefits they can make you pay some back if you earn too much??

Thanks everyone for the helpful answers! I feel much better knowing the money isn't just disappearing. I'll watch for any potential increase around October, though I won't expect much since his current job pays way less than his career. And definitely appreciate the warning about tax implications - we'll talk to our tax person to avoid surprises!

Something important to understand about your situation: You're dealing with two separate processes, and they must happen in sequence: 1) First, your SSA-521 withdrawal must be processed completely. This includes calculating exactly how much you need to repay from your retirement benefits. 2) Only after that's finalized can they move forward with your survivor benefit application. Once your withdrawal is approved, you should receive a formal notice with repayment instructions. After repayment is confirmed, the survivor benefits processing can begin. The good news is that survivor benefits will typically be backdated to your application date (or protective filing date), so you won't lose benefits due to administrative delays.

WAIT im confused - if you already suspended your benefits why do you have to withdraw them too? aren't those the same thing??

One more critical point: Social Security is inflation-adjusted. This is HUGELY valuable and often overlooked. When you delay and get a larger benefit, you're getting a larger inflation-protected annuity, which is extremely expensive to purchase in the private market. With inflation running high in recent years, this protection becomes even more valuable. The 8.7% COLA in 2023 and 3.2% in 2024 meant significant increases for recipients. If you have other retirement assets, many financial planners now recommend spending down your non-inflation-protected assets first, while delaying Social Security to maximize this inflation-protected income stream.

Thank you all for such thoughtful responses! This is exactly the kind of real-world experience I was hoping for. Based on your comments, I think I need to: 1) Call SSA to get my personalized projections for different ages, 2) Consider my family health history more carefully, 3) Think about how my decision affects my spouse if I die first, and 4) Look at our overall retirement assets. I'm leaning more toward waiting now, at least until my FRA, if not 70. The difference in monthly benefits is much larger than I realized, and since my family tends to be long-lived, the math probably works in my favor to wait. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and knowledge!