Can my spouse get spousal benefits while I'm still working at 65? He's on dialysis with low SS benefits

Your husband may be eligible for spousal benefits now, even while you're working. This is called "deemed filing" and applies when one spouse is already receiving benefits. He could potentially get up to 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) - what you'd get at full retirement age - minus his own benefit amount. But here's the key: YOU need to file for your retirement benefits to trigger his spousal benefits. You could file and suspend if you want to continue working without collecting.

Im pretty sure ur husband CANT get spousal benifits until u actually file for ur own SS. My sister went thru something similar. U might want to look into whether he qualifies for SSI too because of the kidey disease if his income is that low. Just a thought.

I had a similar situation with my wife who had cancer while I was still working. Here's what I learned after HOURS of frustration trying to reach SSA: you can file for your retirement benefits to trigger the spousal benefits for your husband, but then immediately suspend your own benefits if you want to keep working and delay your retirement credits. The catch is that since the 2015 rule changes, if you suspend YOUR benefits, any benefits paid to others (like spousal benefits) on your record will also be suspended. It's incredibly frustrating. I finally got through to SSA after trying for weeks by using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com). They hold your place in line and call you when an agent is available. Saved me literally hours of waiting. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Given your husband's medical situation, I'd try to get specific advice directly from an SSA agent rather than making assumptions. The rules around spousal benefits got complicated after the 2015 law changes.

The others haven't given you the complete picture. Your situation falls under the "restricted application" rules, which changed significantly after the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. If you were born before January 2, 1954 (which you were, since you're 65 now), you have special options. You could potentially file a "restricted application" for ONLY spousal benefits once you reach your FRA, while letting your own retirement benefit continue to grow until age 70. However, for your husband to get the spousal benefit based on YOUR record, you would indeed need to file for your own benefits first. Given that you're still working and don't want to claim early, here's what I'd evaluate: 1) Calculate how much extra he would get as a spousal benefit (potentially up to 50% of your PIA minus his own benefit) 2) Compare that monthly increase against the permanent reduction you'd face by claiming your benefits before FRA Have you considered whether your husband might qualify for SSDI in addition to his retirement benefits? With ESRD requiring dialysis, he almost certainly meets the medical criteria.

THE SSA IS USELESS!!! I've been trying to deal with them for my disability for 2 years and they STILL haven't processed my appeal correctly. They lost my paperwork twice!!! I wouldn't count on getting any help from them anytime soon with your husband's situation. The whole system is broken!!!

Thank you all for the helpful responses. I'm still a bit confused about whether I should file now or wait. My main concern is that my husband only gets about $950 after Medicare deductions, which isn't enough with all his medical expenses. If filing for my benefits now would only give him an extra $200-300 per month but permanently reduce my future benefits by a lot more, I'm not sure it's worth it. Could someone clarify if there's any way he can get the spousal benefits without me filing early? And if not, how do I calculate how much his spousal benefit would actually be? I'm thinking I should just try to get through to an actual SSA agent for a definitive answer.

has your husband looked into Extra Help for his Medicare costs? with his kidney disease and low income he might qualify. they could cover his premiums and maybe even the copays for his meds. my mom got on that program last year and it saved her over $200/month!

I'm so sorry to hear about your husband's health struggles. As someone who works in benefits advocacy, I wanted to add a few things that might help your situation: 1. **Medicare Secondary Payer for ESRD**: Since your husband has kidney disease and you're still working with employer insurance, make sure Medicare is coordinating properly with your work coverage. This could reduce some out-of-pocket costs. 2. **State Kidney Programs**: Many states have kidney disease programs that provide additional financial assistance for dialysis patients. Contact your state's health department to see what's available. 3. **Medicaid Spend-Down**: Even though his income might be slightly above Medicaid limits, some states have "spend-down" programs where high medical expenses can qualify someone for Medicaid coverage of costs that Medicare doesn't cover. 4. **Contact your local Area Agency on Aging**: They often have benefits counselors who can do a complete review of all programs he might qualify for - sometimes there are programs people don't even know exist. The spousal benefits question is complex, but don't overlook these other potential sources of help while you're deciding on the Social Security strategy. Sometimes combining multiple smaller programs can provide significant relief.