Can I claim spousal Social Security benefits at 68 then switch to my own at 70?
I could use some advice about Social Security claiming strategies. My situation: I'm 68 and still working, planning to keep going until I'm 70. My husband is 67 and also plans to work until 70. We've both had decent careers, but his benefit will be roughly 20% higher than mine when we finally claim (his projected benefit is around $3,900/month and mine would be about $3,200/month). I'm wondering - would it make financial sense for me to file for spousal benefits on his record now, while continuing to let my own benefit grow until 70? Can I even do this? Would he need to file for his benefits first for me to claim spousal? I'm confused about whether this 'claim now, switch later' strategy is still allowed or if it was eliminated in some of the recent SS rule changes. Any insights from folks who understand these claiming strategies would be greatly appreciated!
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LordCommander
you cant do this. they changed the rules in 2015. file and suspend doesnt work anymore, sorry
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Jayden Hill
•Oh, I thought those changes only affected people born after 1954? I was born in 1957 so does that mean I'm out of luck?
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Lucy Lam
The previous commenter is partially correct but missing some important details. The 2015 rule changes (Bipartisan Budget Act) eliminated what was called "file and suspend" and restricted "restricted applications" for spousal benefits only to those born before January 2, 1954. Since you were born in 1957 (based on your current age), you unfortunately cannot file for only spousal benefits while letting your own benefit grow. When you file now, you'll be deemed to be filing for ALL benefits you're eligible for, and you'll receive whichever is higher - your own retirement benefit or the spousal benefit (which would be 50% of your husband's FRA benefit). In your specific case, your own benefit at 68 has already grown considerably from delayed retirement credits, so it's almost certainly higher than any spousal benefit you could receive. If you file now, you'll simply get your own current retirement benefit and won't be able to switch later.
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Jayden Hill
•Thank you for such a clear explanation! That makes sense. So it sounds like we're both better off just waiting until 70 to maximize our individual benefits. Is there any advantage to either of us filing earlier that I'm missing?
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Aidan Hudson
My husband and I were in almost your EXACT situation last year!!! We both kept working til 70 (I actually quit at 69 and a half because I was so DONE with my job lol). But yeah the SSA people told us the exact same thing - no restricted applications if you were born after Jan 1 1954. So frustrating because we missed that cutoff by like 8 months!! In our case, we both just waited till 70 and got the maximum. The extra 8% per year really added up.
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Jayden Hill
•Thanks for sharing your experience! Seems like waiting is the way to go. Did you find the process of actually applying at 70 to be straightforward?
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Zoe Wang
This is a common question, and I'd like to add some context to the excellent information already provided. At your current ages (68 and 67), your benefits have already earned significant delayed retirement credits. Your benefit at 68 is approximately 16% higher than it would have been at your Full Retirement Age (probably 66+4 months for someone your age). Since your husband hasn't filed for his benefits yet, you couldn't receive spousal benefits anyway - the worker must file first before spouses can claim on their record. But even if he did file now, your own benefit is likely significantly higher than the spousal benefit would be. For reference, spousal benefits are capped at 50% of the worker's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA, which is their benefit at Full Retirement Age), and spousal benefits do NOT earn delayed retirement credits. Since your own benefit is only 20% less than your husband's, your benefit at 68 has almost certainly already exceeded what you'd get as a spouse.
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Connor Richards
•wait I thought if her husband has the higher benefit SHE should file first so HE can get the spousal benefit!!! isnt that how it works???
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Grace Durand
NOBODY CAN GET A STRAIGHT ANSWER FROM SOCIAL SECURITY!!! I tried calling them six times about MY spousal benefits and got 6 DIFFERENT ANSWERS!! It's ridiculous how their own employees don't understand their rules! I finally got through to someone who actually knew what they were talking about after waiting on hold for 2 HOURS, then got disconnected! The whole system is broken.
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Steven Adams
•I've had the same experience. Tried calling for weeks. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through - they connected me to an SSA agent in under 10 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - totally worth it for complicated questions like these claiming strategies that most people don't understand.
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Aidan Hudson
something no one mentioned yet - have you calculated what happens if one of you passes away? survivor benefits are something to consider in your planning too. the surviving spouse gets to take the higher of either their own benefit or their deceased spouse's benefit. so by both of you maximizing your individual benefits, you're also maximizing potential survivor benefits down the road.
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Jayden Hill
•That's a really good point I hadn't considered. That would be another reason for both of us to wait until 70 to file, right? To ensure the survivor benefit would be as high as possible?
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Aidan Hudson
•exactly! that's what our financial advisor told us. by waiting til 70, whichever one of us lives longer will get the higher amount for the rest of their life. morbid to think about but important.
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Lucy Lam
Just to follow up on the survivor benefit discussion - that's absolutely correct. Maximizing your individual benefits also maximizes potential survivor benefits, which is an important consideration for married couples. To sum up your situation: 1. The "restricted application" strategy (claiming spousal while letting your own grow) is not available to you since you were born after January 1, 1954. 2. When you file for benefits, you'll be deemed to be filing for all benefits you're eligible for and will receive the highest amount. 3. At your current age of 68, your own retirement benefit has already accumulated significant delayed retirement credits and is almost certainly higher than any spousal benefit you could receive. 4. Both of you waiting until 70 to claim will maximize your individual benefits and also provide the highest potential survivor benefit for whichever of you lives longer. Based on the information you've provided, waiting until 70 appears to be your optimal strategy.
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Jayden Hill
•Thank you so much for this clear summary. This has been incredibly helpful! We'll plan to both wait until 70 to maximize our benefits.
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LordCommander
my sister tried to do what ur talking about and SSA said no. but then she went to a different office and they told her something completely different! the right hand doesnt know what the left is doing over there lol
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Zoe Wang
•This is unfortunately common. Social Security rules are complex, and even some SSA employees get confused about the nuances of the 2015 rule changes. That's why it's so important to understand your specific situation and the rules that apply to your birth year. In this case, for someone born in 1957, the rules are quite clear - restricted applications are not available.
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