Can I switch to spousal benefits after husband files for Social Security at 70?

Yes, you might be eligible for additional spousal benefits, but it depends on the exact difference between your benefit amounts. Since your husband is the higher earner, once he files, you could potentially receive a spousal benefit that would bring your total up to 50% of his Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). The PIA is what he would receive at his Full Retirement Age, not his age-70 amount with delayed retirement credits. However, since you're already collecting your own benefit, you would only receive the difference between your benefit and the spousal amount IF the spousal amount is higher.

my sister went thru this exact thing last yr!! she got her own ss at 68 and then when her husband filed at 70 they only gave her like $230 extra per month. she was soooo mad bc she thought shed get half of his big check but the ssa lady explained it doesnt work that way

To clarify what others have said, you need to understand the math behind this. If your husband's PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) is $3,000, then the maximum spousal benefit would be $1,500 (50% of his PIA). If your own retirement benefit is $1,845, you won't receive any additional spousal benefits because your own benefit already exceeds the spousal benefit you'd be entitled to. The calculation is: max(your benefit, 50% of spouse's PIA). Since your benefit is likely higher than 50% of his PIA (not his age 70 amount), you probably won't see any increase. You should check your husband's Social Security statement to see his PIA amount to be certain.

YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTLY FILE FOR SPOUSAL!!! My neighbor tried to tell me it wasn"t worth it but I got an extra $327 a month after my hubby filed!!! The SSA doesn't tell you about all the benefits your entitled too, so YOU have to ask for it!!

After fighting with the SSA for THREE MONTHS trying to reach someone about this exact situation, I finally tried Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to a real agent in 20 minutes. They have this service where they wait on hold with SSA for you and call when an agent picks up. Saved me hours of frustration. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Worth it just to get a definitive answer about exactly what you'll get.

Just want to point out something nobody mentioned yet - you need to APPLY for the spousal benefit, it's not automatic!! My wife never got back pay because she didn't know she had to apply and just assumed SSA would adjust it when I filed. Make sure you apply right after your husband files.

One more thing to consider - if your husband passes away before you, at that point you would be eligible for survivor benefits. As a widow, you could receive up to 100% of what your husband was receiving (including his delayed retirement credits). So while you might not get additional spousal benefits now, his decision to wait until 70 could still benefit you substantially in the future through higher survivor benefits.

dont forget about taxes!!!! if you get more SS benefits you might have to pay more taxes on them if your over the limit. my brother got a big surprise at tax time last year