Thank you all for the helpful responses! I now understand that my husband won't get any additional amount since his benefit is already more than half of mine. I appreciate the clarification about survivor benefits too - that's something we hadn't considered in our planning. I'm going to talk with him about whether it might make sense for him to delay claiming even past his FRA since his benefit would continue to grow. Does anyone know if the spousal benefit calculations change if he waits until 70?

my sister in law was in this same boat. her husbands check was like $700 less than hers and he didnt get any extra. but then when she needed to go on medicare it took a bigger chunk out of her check cause she was in a higher income bracket. so theres other stuff to think about too with the higher benefit sometimes.

My wife and I went thru this last year. What a headache! We ended up estimating too high and got less subsidy than we shoulda. Make sure you ONLY count the SS income that's taxable for marketplace (which isnt the same as taxable for IRS). I think theres a worksheet on healthcare.gov somewhere.

One last important point: For Marketplace insurance income calculations, you need to report your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI), which may include some non-taxable Social Security benefits depending on your other income. The Marketplace uses a specific calculation for Social Security benefits that differs from normal tax rules. If your income is below certain thresholds, you may not need to count all of your Social Security benefits toward your Marketplace MAGI. I recommend using the Marketplace's income calculator tool on healthcare.gov to get the most accurate estimate for your specific situation.

Something important to remember about Social Security benefits - they're recalculated annually for COLA (Cost of Living Adjustments). For 2025, the COLA will likely be around 2.5-3.0% based on current inflation trends. This means both of your benefits will increase automatically each year. While your benefit structure is already optimized based on what everyone has explained, you'll still see those yearly increases that help (somewhat) with rising costs.

My parents had similar ages to you guys! Dad was much older than mom too. When he passed at 92, mom did get his higher benefit as a survivor. But in your case it sounds like you'd just keep your own since it's higher anyway. The SS rules are so confusing sometimes! Glad you asked about this.

Great question. If you're approved for ex-spousal benefits when applying for retirement, any additional amount would start from your entitlement date - usually the month after you apply for benefits. However, if you're already receiving your own retirement benefits and later apply for ex-spousal benefits, SSA can provide up to 6 months of retroactive benefits (but not going back further than your full retirement age).In the original poster's case, since she's applying for both at roughly the same time at age 70, the benefits would start together from her application date with no significant retroactive payment likely.

Thanks! That makes sense. I've been on disability for years but I'm approaching retirement age so trying to figure out how all this works.

One important correction to my earlier response: When I mentioned that you'd likely receive about $3,200 in survivor benefits based on your husband's record, that assumes he would have reached his full retirement age. If he passes before reaching his FRA, the survivor benefit would be reduced. Also, regarding returning to work: The 2025 SGA limit is $1,550/month for non-blind individuals as another commenter mentioned. However, there are work incentives like Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE) that might help you deduct certain costs related to your disability from your earnings calculation. Given your specific situation with rheumatoid arthritis and potential return to work, I would strongly recommend scheduling an appointment with an SSA Claims Specialist to discuss your options in detail. These consultations are free and can help you make the best decisions for your situation.

btw when u do get thru to SSA make sure u ask for an APPOINTMENT with a claims specialist dont just talk to whoever answers, the regular phone ppl just read from scripts and give wrong info half the time