Can my husband claim spousal Social Security benefits if I'm still working at 60?

Your husband cannot collect spousal benefits based on your record until you file for your own benefits. This is one of the most common misconceptions about Social Security. Even though he's reached his full retirement age (FRA), spousal benefits can only be paid when the primary worker (you) has filed for benefits.He can claim his own retirement benefits now at 65, and then when you file for yours, if 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) is higher than his own benefit, he can receive the difference as a spousal add-on. He won't get a full 50% of your benefit on top of his own - the total would be equal to 50% of your PIA.

Thank you for explaining that! So just to be clear, he has to wait until I actually file for benefits before he can get anything based on my record? And if he takes his own benefit now, he wouldn't later get a full 50% of mine, but rather some kind of adjustment to make up the difference?

To add to what the previous poster said, your husband might want to consider waiting until his Full Retirement Age (66 and 2 months for someone born in 1960) before claiming his own benefits to avoid any reduction. But yes, once you file for your benefits (earliest at 62), he can file for spousal benefits if that would give him more than his own benefit amount.One strategy might be for him to claim his own benefits now, and then when you claim yours (assuming 50% of yours is higher than his full amount), they'll automatically adjust his payment to include the spousal add-on. This way he gets some benefits now instead of waiting.

Wiat but if hes 65 now then he wasn't born in 1960 right? more like 1960-65=1895? But anyway I think ur confusing yourself, the husband is already 65 so he's already reached the full age for SS.

Just to clarify on the FRA point - if the husband is 65 now in 2025, he was born in 1960, and his Full Retirement Age is 67, not 66 and 2 months. He hasn't quite reached FRA yet. For people born in 1960 or later, FRA is 67 for retirement benefits.

You're right - my mistake on the dates! Thanks for the correction. So the husband is still about 2 years away from his FRA at 67. This actually changes the calculation quite a bit, as claiming at 65 would mean a reduction of about 13.3% from his full benefit amount.

I was in almost EXACT same situation last year!!! My husband is older then me too and we were so confused. He went ahead and took his own SS at 65 cause we needed the money and the SSA lady told us over the phone he can switch to mine later when I file. They just add some difference amount they don't give him both. It's dumb they don't explain this stuff better.

That's really helpful to hear from someone who went through this! Did your husband have any issues with Medicare since he started collecting SS before full retirement age? That's another thing I'm wondering about.

just wondering why ur still working at 60? most ppl try to retire by then. my dad retired at 58 and my mom at 56. their SS wasn't that great but they didn't wanna work forever lol

This comment isn't helpful. Many people need or want to work into their 60s and even 70s. Some for financial reasons, others because they enjoy their careers. The average retirement age in the US is actually around 64-65, and it's been increasing. Let's focus on answering the OP's actual questions about spousal benefits.

DONT TRUST ANYTHING THE SSA TELLS YOU OVER THE PHONE!!! I can't stress this enough! My sister-in-law was told by THREE DIFFERENT SSA REPS that she could do something similar with her ex-husband's record and IT WAS ALL WRONG!!! She lost thousands of dollars and they basically said

That's scary! I've been trying to get through to someone at SSA for days with no luck. The phone lines are always busy or I get disconnected.

If you're having trouble reaching the SSA by phone, I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It helped me get through to a real person at the SSA after weeks of busy signals and disconnects. They basically call SSA for you and connect you when they reach a representative. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puURegarding your actual question - the others are correct. Your husband cannot receive spousal benefits until you file for your own benefits. And when you do file, he'll either receive his own benefit or up to 50% of yours, whichever is higher (not both).

Thank you for the suggestion! I'll definitely check out that service. And thanks for confirming what others have said about the spousal benefits. It's starting to make more sense now.

My grandpa did this. He took his own SS at 62 (bad idea btw, he lost a lot of $$) but then when grandma filed at 66 he got a little extra cause her benefit was bigger. But the extra wasn't much cause he already messed up by filing early. Don't let ur husband file early!!!

This is a good point about filing early. If the husband files at 65 instead of waiting until his FRA at 67, his own benefit will be permanently reduced by about 13.3%. This reduced amount then becomes the basis for comparison when determining any potential spousal benefit later. Waiting those two years could make a significant difference in lifetime benefits.

Another thing to consider here that NOBODY mentioned is that since you're still working and carrying health insurance, your husband can delay enrolling in Medicare Part B without penalty! Most people don't know this and the SSA rarely explains it clearly. He can get Part A (free) at 65 but delay Part B until you stop working or lose insurance coverage. SAVE THAT MONEY!!!

wait is that true? my dad had to get medicare at 65 even tho my mom still had work insurance. maybe the rules changed? this stuff is so confusing

To clarify the Medicare point: Yes, if the husband is covered under the wife's current employer health insurance (from her active employment), AND the employer has 20+ employees, then he can delay enrolling in Medicare Part B without penalty. He would need to get a form called \

This is all super helpful information. I definitely don't want to file early just to enable his spousal benefits if it's going to permanently reduce my benefit. It sounds like the best approach might be for him to wait until his FRA at 67 to claim his own benefit, and then I can file for mine when I reach my FRA (which would be 67 too, I think).