Can my husband get Social Security spousal benefits (top-up) when his payment is less than 50% of mine?

The SSA representative is probably correct in this case. Since your husband is taking his own retirement benefit early (before his FRA), any spousal benefit would be reduced twice - once for his early retirement and again for taking spousal benefits early. Also, the spousal benefit is calculated on your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), not your current payment with COLAs. The calculation is roughly: (50% of your PIA - 100% of his PIA). If that number is negative, there's no spousal benefit. Even if positive, it would be reduced for early claiming. When did your husband turn 62? What's his FRA?

My husband had the EXACT same situation!!! The SSA told us NO at first but that was WRONG!!!! He WAS entitled to a spousal top-up, but the person helping us didn't understand how it worked! We had to speak to a different rep and show them the rules on their own website!!! Don't give up!

Here's how spousal benefits actually work: The maximum spousal benefit is 50% of the higher earner's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) at their Full Retirement Age. If your husband files for his own retirement benefit early, it's permanently reduced. When calculating any potential spousal benefit, SSA looks at: 1. 50% of your PIA (not your current benefit with COLAs) 2. Minus 100% of his PIA (before any reductions) 3. If this amount is positive, it's further reduced based on how early he's claiming spousal benefits If your PIA is $2,131, then 50% would be $1,065. If his PIA (before reductions) is close to or more than $1,065, then there wouldn't be any spousal benefit to add. The representative should have explained this calculation to you rather than just saying no. I'd suggest creating a my Social Security account online and checking both of your PIA amounts to do this calculation yourself.

the ss people are right he cant get a topup if hes getting his own benefit already. thats how it works. my brother tried this and they said the same thing.

I spent HOURS trying to reach someone at Social Security about this exact issue last month. Getting disconnected over and over! I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a rep in less than 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU When I finally spoke with an agent who knew what they were talking about, they explained that my husband wasn't eligible for a spousal top-up because his PIA was already more than 50% of mine, even though his actual payment was less due to early retirement reductions. It's all about the PIA amounts, not what you're actually receiving.

Just wondering, have you checked both your benefit statements online? Sometimes those numbers are different from what the reps tell you in person. My cousin thought she wasn't eligible either but it turned out her husband's PIA was calculated wrong.

If your husband is receiving $935 at age 63, his PIA (full retirement age amount) would be around $1,250-1,300 depending on exactly when his birthday is. If your PIA is $2,131, then 50% of that is $1,065. Since his own PIA is higher than 50% of yours, there's no top-up available. The reason his check seems so low compared to yours is because he's taking a 25-30% reduction by claiming early, while you waited until your FRA. The SSA rep should have explained this calculation to you rather than just saying no.

WAIT i just realized something!!! Was your husband already collecting disability before switching to retirement??? Because that changes EVERYTHING about how they calculate this!!!

After reading through this thread and your responses, I'm confident the SSA made the correct determination, but they failed to explain it properly. Based on the numbers you've shared, your husband's PIA is likely around $1,300, which exceeds 50% of your PIA ($1,065). Even though his actual payment is reduced to $935 because he's claiming early, the spousal benefit calculation still uses the PIA amounts. I'd recommend requesting a detailed breakdown of both your PIAs from SSA and the spousal benefit calculation so you fully understand the determination.