Can I collect Social Security spousal benefits at FRA while delaying my own retirement benefits?

Unfortunately, if you were born after January 1, 1954, you can no longer file a restricted application for just spousal benefits. When you file for any benefit, the SSA automatically gives you the higher of your own benefit or the spousal benefit. This is called "deemed filing." So no, you cannot collect just the spousal benefit while letting your own benefit grow. If your own benefit is higher than the spousal benefit (which it sounds like it would be based on your work histories), you'll just get your own benefit when you file. Your strategy of waiting until your FRA to maximize her survivor benefit is still valid though. Survivor benefits are not affected by the deemed filing rule.

To add to what was already shared, survivor benefits actually DO continue to grow until age 70 if you delay your own retirement benefits. The survivor benefit your wife would receive would be based on your benefit amount at the time of your death, including any delayed retirement credits you earned by waiting past your FRA. So if maximizing her potential survivor benefit is your main goal, waiting until 70 would provide the largest survivor benefit (about 32% more than at your FRA). However, this is always a personal decision that depends on health, financial needs, and other factors.

Just want to agree with what others said - those "file and suspend" and "restricted application" strategies got eliminated for most people with the 2015 law changes. My husband and I got caught by that too, we were planning to use that exact strategy! Such a bummer they changed the rules.

This whole system is RIGGED AGAINST MARRIED COUPLES! The government keeps changing the rules to take away strategies that would have helped us maximize our benefits. My financial planner laid out a whole strategy based on the old rules and then BOOM - they changed everything with that 2015 law. They should have at least grandfathered people who were close to retirement age. Now we're all scrambling trying to figure out the best approach with these new arbitrary restrictions. It's like they're PUNISHING couples for planning ahead!

I had the exact same question last year when planning my retirement! After hours on hold with SSA (which was incredibly frustrating), I finally got someone who explained the deemed filing rule clearly. If you're having trouble getting through to SSA to discuss your specific situation, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com). They helped me get through to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU It was worth it to get definitive answers about my specific situation rather than relying solely on online advice.

my sister tried to do something similar with her husband and it didnt work. they told her she had to take her own benefit first and couldnt just get the spousal. really confusing system!

Have you looked at the total amount of money you'll get over time? My brother ran the numbers and found that even though waiting gives you more per month, if you claim earlier you might get more overall if you don't live past 78-80 or something like that. Just something to think about.

One additional point that hasn't been mentioned yet: Your wife's decision to claim at 62 will permanently reduce her own benefit by about 30% compared to her FRA amount. This won't affect your potential spousal benefit on her record (since you're waiting until your FRA), but it will reduce her monthly income for the rest of her life. If she can afford to wait even a year or two beyond 62, she could significantly increase her lifetime benefits. Each year she delays between 62 and her FRA adds about 6-8% to her monthly benefit amount.

When I was trying to figure all this out last year I actually downloaded the 2025 SSA calculator from their website and put in all our numbers. It was super helpful to see the actual dollar amounts we'd get under different scenarios! Highly recommend doing that.