Can I collect ex-spouse Social Security at FRA while my own benefits grow until 70?

Yes, you absolutely can do this! Since you were born before January 2, 1954, you're still eligible for the restricted application strategy. You can collect your ex-spouse benefit now (50% of his FRA amount) while letting your own retirement benefit grow until 70. And don't worry - claiming on his record has zero impact on his benefits. He'll never even know you filed. The earnings test doesn't apply to you anymore since you're past your FRA, so your income won't reduce your ex-spouse benefits. This is a smart strategy for maximizing your lifetime benefits!

my sister tried this but they said she couldnt do it because of some cutoff date for that strategy. something about being born after 1954? better double check before counting on it

The previous response contains incorrect information. Based on your birth year (being 67 in 2025 means you were born in 1957/1958), you were born AFTER the January 2, 1954 cutoff date for restricted applications. This means you CANNOT file only for ex-spouse benefits while letting your own continue to grow. Due to the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, anyone born on or after January 2, 1954 is subject to deemed filing rules even after reaching FRA. When you file for any benefit, you'll be deemed to have filed for all benefits you're eligible for, and you'll receive whichever is higher (your own or the ex-spouse benefit). In your case, since your own benefit is higher, there's no advantage to filing for ex-spouse benefits now. Your best strategy is likely still to wait until 70 to maximize your own retirement benefit.

THIS IS WHY SOCIAL SECURITY IS SO FRUSTRATING!!! The rules keep changing and they don't make it clear to regular people. My brother-in-law got to do this restricted application thing but his younger sister (only 2 years younger!) couldn't because of that 1954 cutoff. It's RIDICULOUS how they keep moving the goalposts!!! That 2015 budget act was a sneaky way to cut benefits without calling it a cut. They should have grandfathered more people in or at least done better education about the changes.

I had a similar situation last year when figuring out my filing strategy. If you're still working full-time making $98k, you might consider whether you really need the Social Security income right now anyway. By waiting until 70, your monthly benefit will be 24% higher than at your FRA, and that higher amount will be the basis for any future cost-of-living adjustments. Plus, if you're still working, taking SS now might push you into a higher tax bracket where up to 85% of your benefits would be taxable. In my case, I decided to keep working until 69 and then filed. Maximizing that monthly amount gives me peace of mind for my later years when healthcare costs might increase.

My cousin tried to call for HOURS about this exact issue and kept getting busy signals or disconnected. She finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to SSA in like 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Worth it to get a definitive answer about your options from SSA directly. My cousin found out she had an additional filing option because of her specific work history that none of us had considered.

I think everyone's making this more complicated than it needs to be. If you're making good money and don't need the SS now, just wait till 70. That's what my financial advisor told me to do. The 3 extra years of growth is worth it in the long run especially if you have family history of longevity.

To correct my earlier mistake: Since you were born after 1/2/1954, you can't do a restricted application. However, if your ex-spouse benefit would be higher than your own benefit (which seems unlikely from your numbers), you could claim now and then switch to your own at 70. But since your own benefit is higher, you're better off waiting. One consideration: If you have health concerns that might impact longevity, waiting to 70 might not be optimal. The general breakeven age is around 82-83 - if you live beyond that, waiting to 70 pays off.

As someone who just went through this decision process myself, I'd recommend getting a personalized Social Security statement from ssa.gov to see your exact projected benefits at different claiming ages. The online calculators can be helpful, but your actual earnings record might show different numbers. Also, since you're still working full-time, consider that your continued earnings might actually increase your benefit calculation if these are some of your highest earning years. Social Security uses your highest 35 years of earnings, so if you're making $98K now, that could potentially bump out some lower earning years from earlier in your career. Given your family longevity history and excellent health, waiting until 70 seems like the right call. That extra 24% boost per month for potentially 20+ years of retirement is substantial.

I work as a benefits counselor and see this confusion all the time. Since you were born in 1957/1958 (age 67 in 2025), you're subject to deemed filing rules - you can't do the restricted application strategy that was eliminated for people born after January 1, 1954. However, there might be one small silver lining to explore: if you have a significant reduction in earnings this year or next (maybe reducing work hours), it could be worth running the numbers on whether filing earlier makes sense. But given your $98K salary and family longevity, waiting until 70 is almost certainly your best bet. One thing to double-check: make sure your ex-husband's benefit amount is accurate. Sometimes people misunderstand what their actual benefit is versus what they're currently receiving (which might be reduced if they filed early). Your ex-spouse benefit would be 50% of his full retirement age benefit, not necessarily 50% of what he's currently collecting.

Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who recently navigated this same decision. I'm 68 and was born in 1956, so I also missed the restricted application cutoff by a couple years - super frustrating! One thing that helped me was using the Social Security break-even calculators to see the actual dollar amounts. In my case, I realized that even though waiting until 70 would give me the highest monthly payment, I'd need to live past 83 to come out ahead compared to filing at my FRA. Since I'm in great health like you, I decided to wait. But here's something to consider: if you're still working and contributing to Social Security, those continued contributions could actually boost your benefit calculation. I found out my last few high-earning years replaced some lower-earning years from the 1980s in my calculation, which increased my projected benefit at 70 even more than just the delayed retirement credits alone. Definitely get your most recent Social Security statement online to see your exact projected amounts before making the final decision!