Can I claim half of husband's Social Security at 65 with insufficient work credits? Medicare questions too

You can definitely claim spousal benefits since your husband is already collecting, but there are a few things to understand: 1. At age 65, you'll receive LESS than 50% because you're filing before your Full Retirement Age (FRA). Since your FRA is 66 and 10 months, filing at 65 means you'll get approximately 45-46% of his Primary Insurance Amount instead of the full 50%. 2. For Medicare, you need to actively enroll during your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP), which begins 3 months before your 65th birthday month and extends 3 months after. It is NOT automatic unless you're already receiving Social Security benefits. Miss this window and you could face permanent premium penalties. 3. If you start receiving spousal benefits, yes, they can deduct your Medicare premium from those monthly payments if you choose.

my husband was 67 when i strated getting my spousal benefit and i got it at 65 too. they definitely don't automatically sign u up for medicare, i missed my window and now paying extra every month!!! make sure u apply online or go to the office like 3 mnths before your 65 bday. the whole system is so confusing

Since you mention having a disability for several years, have you considered applying for SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) before you turn 65? If approved, you'd potentially get disability benefits based on your husband's record, and Medicare would start automatically after 24 months of SSDI entitlement. This could be financially advantageous compared to waiting. Regarding the spousal benefit reduction: at 65, with an FRA of 66 and 10 months, you'd lose approximately 10-11% of the full spousal benefit. So instead of 50% of his PIA, you'd get around 44-45%. For Medicare, I strongly recommend applying at medicare.gov during your Initial Enrollment Period starting 3 months before your 65th birthday. Part A (hospital) is free if you or your spouse have sufficient work credits (which your husband does). Part B (medical) will have a monthly premium, currently $174.70 for most people in 2024, likely a bit higher in 2025.

It could still be worth applying for SSDI. If approved, you might receive disability benefits until you reach Full Retirement Age, and Medicare would start after 24 months of disability entitlement (or immediately if you're already 65). The real advantage is that converting from disability to retirement at your FRA would potentially give you a higher benefit amount than taking reduced spousal benefits at 65. The SSA will automatically convert your disability benefit to a retirement benefit when you reach FRA. You're right that the process can be lengthy - initial decisions take 3-5 months, and if denied, appeals take much longer. But you can simultaneously apply for disability and file for reduced spousal benefits at 65 if the disability claim is still pending.

I've been calling the Social Security office for THREE WEEKS trying to get answers to similar questions and can't get through to anyone. Just endless holds and then disconnections. So frustrating when you're trying to plan your retirement and can't even get basic questions answered! Has anyone found a way to actually reach a human being there?

i think the original poster is getting SSI and SSDI confused. SSI is for people without enough work credits but thats for low income people with limited assets. spousal benefits are different and based on your husbands record, not a welfare program.

When I turned 65 last year, I found out that the Medicare enrollment isn't automatic unless you're already getting Social Security benefits! Had no idea until a friend mentioned it. Don't make the same mistake I nearly did!

Just wanted to share that when I called SSA about my Medicare enrollment, they told me I could apply online for both Medicare and spousal benefits at the same time through my my Social Security account. Made it much easier than trying to do separate applications. You might want to create an account now if you don't already have one so everything's ready when you want to apply.

Regarding your question about the reduction for claiming spousal benefits early: The reduction is approximately 25/36 of 1 percent for each month before your FRA, up to 36 months, and 5/12 of 1 percent for each additional month. With your FRA at 66 and 10 months, filing at exactly 65 means a reduction of about 10.56%. So instead of 50% of your husband's PIA, you'd receive about 44.7%. If your husband receives $2,750/month, his PIA is likely around $2,400-$2,500 (depending on when he started collecting). So your spousal benefit at FRA would be ~$1,200-$1,250, but at age 65 would be reduced to ~$1,075-$1,120. Is waiting 22 months worth approximately $125-$130 more per month? That's a personal decision, but mathematically it would take about 15 years of receiving the higher amount to make up for the 22 months of benefits you'd forgo by waiting.