Can I claim spousal Social Security benefits at 62 while my SSDI reconsideration is pending?

Yes you can file for reduced retirement at 62 and then file for spouse benefits when your husband files. But BE CAREFUL! If you get approved for disability later, your early filing could permanently reduce your SSDI amount. The SSA doesn't always explain this clearly!!

I want to clarify some information here to help you make an informed decision: 1. Yes, you can file for spousal benefits when you turn 62 if your husband is receiving his retirement benefits. However, they will be reduced because you're taking them before your full retirement age. 2. If your SSDI is approved later, SSA will determine your disability onset date. If this date is before you filed for early retirement, they should adjust your benefits to the higher SSDI amount without the early filing reduction. 3. The reduction for filing spousal benefits at 62 is about 30% of the full amount you'd receive at your full retirement age. I recommend calling SSA directly to discuss your specific situation before making any decisions.

i had a similar situation but with my wife's record. took me 6 years to get approved for disability. i filed for spousal at 62 and it helped during the wait but yeah they reduced it. after i got ssdi approved they did some kinda complicated math and adjusted everything but i still think i lost some money somewhere in the whole mess

I've been in your exact shoes, and I feel your pain with this long SSDI process! Calling SSA directly is almost IMPOSSIBLE these days - I spent hours on hold multiple times and kept getting disconnected. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual person at SSA in under 2 hours. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU When I finally got through, the agent explained that I could file for reduced retirement at 62 and then switch to spousal benefits when my husband filed, but they also mentioned something important about "deemed filing" rules that affect how benefits interact. Definitely worth getting clear info from an actual SSA rep!

There's a lot of confusion about this topic. Let me try to clarify: 1) Yes, you can file for spousal benefits when you turn 62 IF your husband is already collecting his retirement. 2) The spousal benefit at 62 will be significantly reduced - approximately 32.5% less than if you waited until your Full Retirement Age. 3) If your SSDI is eventually approved with an onset date before you took early benefits, SSA should adjust your payment to the full SSDI amount. 4) IMPORTANT: Under current "deemed filing" rules (post-2016), when you file for any benefit, you're deemed to be filing for all benefits you're eligible for. So you can't file for just spousal and preserve your own record. Given your long SSDI fight, I'd recommend continuing that process and consulting with a disability attorney about how filing for spousal benefits might impact your case.

U should just wait for SSDI!!! My cousin got early retirement while waiting for disability and regretted it BIG TIME!!! They ended up paying her less forever even tho she was disabled the whole time!!! The system is RIGGED against us!!!

Also keep in mind that spousal benefits are only up to 50% of your husband's PIA (primary insurance amount), and that's if you wait until FRA. At 62 you'd get around 32.5-35% of his benefit. Depending on your own work history, your own retirement might actually be higher than spousal.

i just want to say hang in there with the disability process!! took me 4 years and a hearing but i finally got approved. the backpay was nice but man those years of waiting were tough

One additional piece of advice: If you haven't already, consider getting representation for your SSDI case. Success rates are significantly higher with representation, especially at the hearing level (if your reconsideration is denied). Most disability attorneys work on contingency, meaning they only get paid if you win, and their fee is capped at 25% of backpay or $7,200, whichever is less.

anyone else notice how the ssa website says one thing but then the people on the phone tell you something totally different?? its so confusing trying to figure out whats actually true