Can I collect 50% of husband's Social Security at my FRA if he claims at age 70?

You cannot collect spousal benefits until your husband actually files for his own benefits. That's the triggering event. So if he waits until 70, you won't be able to collect spousal benefits until then, regardless of your age at that point. The good news is that once he files at 70, you can immediately file for spousal benefits, and if you're already past your FRA at that point, you'll get the full 50% of his Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is what his benefit would be at his full retirement age, NOT his age 70 benefit. The delayed retirement credits he earns by waiting until 70 don't increase your spousal benefit.

Wait, so I'd get 50% of what his benefit would have been at his FRA, not 50% of his age 70 amount? That's so disappointing! Does that mean there's no advantage for ME if he waits till 70? Should I just claim on my own record at my FRA and then switch to spousal later?

my wife and me were in simular situation... she got her own SS at 62 (reduced benefit) and when i filed at my FRA she switched to the spousal which was more even tho it was reduced a bit. your best bet is calling SSA and asking them to run the numbers for diff scenarios for you. but good luck gettin through to them lol took me 3 days of calling

Thanks for sharing your experience! Did you ever figure out if spousal benefits are based on your FRA amount or your actual filing amount? I'm still confused about that part.

Let me clarify a few things about spousal benefits that might help:1. You're correct that you cannot receive spousal benefits until your husband files for his own retirement benefits.2. The maximum spousal benefit is 50% of your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is the benefit amount he would receive at his Full Retirement Age (FRA), NOT his age 70 amount. The delayed retirement credits he earns between his FRA and age 70 do not increase your spousal benefit.3. To receive the full 50% of his PIA as a spousal benefit, you must be at your own FRA when you begin receiving spousal benefits.4. If you have your own work record, SSA will pay your own retirement benefit first. If your spousal benefit would be higher, you'll receive an additional amount so that the combination equals the spousal benefit amount.Since your husband is waiting until 70, you have a few options:- File for your own retirement benefit at your FRA or earlier, then when he files at 70, you can add the spousal benefit if it would increase your total.- Wait until he files at 70, then file for both your own retirement and spousal benefits at the same time.The best strategy depends on your own work history and benefit amount. I recommend making an appointment with SSA to review your specific numbers before deciding.

Thank you SO much for breaking this down! So to confirm - if my own benefit at FRA would be about $1,100 and his PIA (at his FRA, not age 70) is about $2,900, would I get my $1,100 plus an additional $350 to make it 50% of his PIA ($1,450)? Is that how it works?

NOBODY here mentioned that when he files at 70, his monthly check is gonna be WAY BIGGER than if he filed at his FRA!!! So even though your spousal is based on his FRA amount (not the age 70 amount), the household total will be much higher with him waiting. My husband waited til 70 and gets almost $1200 more EVERY MONTH than if he'd filed at 66. Best decision we made!!!

You're absolutely right - this is an important point. While the spousal benefit doesn't increase with delayed retirement credits, the overall household income will be significantly higher when the higher-earning spouse delays to age 70. This can make a big difference in long-term financial security, especially if the higher earner lives a long time or if the lower-earning spouse might later receive survivor benefits.

just wanted to say im in a similar boat my husband is 68 still working and not taken ss yet and im 65 next month still trying to figure it all out

It's so confusing, isn't it? I feel like we need a spreadsheet to figure out all the different scenarios!

I had the same question last year when planning my retirement. I spent WEEKS trying to get through to SSA on the phone - kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours only to have the call dropped. Finally, I found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real SSA agent in under 20 minutes. The agent ran all the calculations for me and explained exactly how my spousal benefits would work with different filing dates. They even have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puUThe key thing I learned was that spousal benefits are based on the PIA (what your husband would get at his FRA), not his age-70 increased amount. But waiting was still worth it for us because of the overall higher household income and survivor benefits protection.

Thanks for the tip! I've been trying to get through to SSA for days with no luck. I'll definitely check out that service. Did they charge you for it?

They do have a service fee, but it was worth every penny to me compared to spending weeks trying to get through. The SSA agent was able to run personalized calculations showing exactly what I'd get under different scenarios, which helped us make the right decision for our situation.

My husband and I went through this exact thing! Confusing as heck! Here's what we learned after FINALLY getting the right info from SSA:- You CAN'T get spousal benefits until your husband files for his own benefits- Your spousal benefit would be 50% of his FRA amount (not his age-70 amount)- If you have your own work record, you get the HIGHER of either your own benefit OR the spousal benefit (not both!)- Survivor benefits ARE different and DO include delayed retirement creditsFor us, the best strategy was for me to take my own benefit at my FRA, then when my husband filed at 70, I switched to spousal since it was higher. Good luck!

not quite right... you dont switch completely to spousal if thats higher. you get your own benefit PLUS the extra to bring it up to the spousal amount. my wife gets both combined

Just to add one important point that hasn't been clearly mentioned: if you have your own work record, you don't actually

This is SO helpful! Thank you for confirming the exact calculation. So the bottom line is I should probably go ahead and file for my own benefits at my FRA, then when my husband files at 70, I can add the spousal portion if it's higher than my own benefit. I feel like I finally understand this!

ALSO DON'T FORGET ABOUT SURVIVOR BENEFITS!!! This is why my husband waiting till 70 was CRUCIAL. If he dies before me, I'll get HIS FULL AGE 70 BENEFIT as a survivor - INCLUDING all those delayed retirement credits! This is the BIGGEST reason for the higher earner to wait till 70!!!

This is an excellent point about survivor benefits. While spousal benefits are capped at 50% of the worker's PIA (FRA amount), survivor benefits can include 100% of the deceased spouse's benefit, including delayed retirement credits. For couples with significant differences in earnings history, this survivor benefit protection is often the most compelling reason for the higher earner to delay benefits until age 70.