Can my wife switch from early SS benefits at 62 to higher spousal benefits later? Also worried about survivor benefits
I'm planning our retirement and have two important Social Security questions that I can't seem to get a straight answer on: 1) My wife is considering taking her own SS retirement benefits at 62 (in about 6 months). I won't file until I reach 70 to maximize my benefit. Once I start collecting, can she switch from her reduced benefit to a higher spousal benefit based on my earnings when she reaches her full retirement age at 67? 2) The other concern is about survivor benefits. If she starts collecting early at 62 and I pass away before she reaches her full retirement age, would she still be eligible to receive my full benefit amount as a widow? Or would her survivor benefits also be permanently reduced? I've looked at the SSA website but it's confusing with all the different rules. Any help would be appreciated!
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Dylan Mitchell
The answer to your first question is unfortunately no. If your wife claims any benefit before her Full Retirement Age (FRA), she'll be deemed to be filing for ALL benefits she's eligible for, both now and in the future. This is due to the deemed filing rule that went into effect after 2015. If she files at 62, she'll get her own reduced benefit. Later when you file, she'll only get the difference between her benefit and the spousal benefit IF the spousal amount is higher, and that spousal amount will ALSO be reduced because she filed early. There's no separate "switching" to full spousal benefits at 67.
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
•That's disappointing but thank you for explaining. So there's no way for her to get the full 50% of my benefit if she files at 62? What kind of reduction are we talking about for the spousal portion?
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Sofia Martinez
For your second question, survivor benefits work differently than spousal benefits. If you die, your wife can switch to survivor benefits at any point, and she'll receive either: 1) Her own benefit amount, or 2) About 71.5% of your benefit if she claims survivors at age 60, up to 100% of your benefit if she waits until her FRA to claim survivors. Her early filing for retirement benefits doesn't affect her survivor benefit amount. She would still be eligible for your full benefit amount as a widow IF she waits until her FRA to claim it.
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Dmitry Volkov
•Wait that doesnt sound right. my aunt got widows benefits and she didnt get 100% of what my uncle was getting. she got somethin less and shes still mad about it. social security has all these weird rules.
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Dylan Mitchell
To answer your follow-up: If your wife files at 62, her own benefit will be reduced to about 70% of her full benefit amount. For the spousal addition, if she's eligible for it when you file at 70, it would be reduced to as little as 32.5% of your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) instead of the full 50% she'd get by waiting until her FRA to file. Basically, once she files early for ANY benefit, ALL her benefits get permanently reduced due to that early filing decision.
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
•Thank you for the detailed explanation. That's a significant reduction. We might need to reconsider our strategy. Is there any advantage to her filing early in our situation that I'm missing?
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Ava Thompson
MY SISTER GOT CAUGHT IN THIS EXACT TRAP!!! Filed at 62 and now she's stuck with a tiny benefit forever! Even when her husband started collecting, she barely got any increase at all. The SSA doesn't explain this clearly ON PURPOSE if you ask me. She would have waited if anyone had explained how much money she was giving up!!!
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CyberSiren
•I had a similar experience. It's not necessarily a "trap" but rather a lack of clear information. When I filed at 62, I didn't realize how it would affect future benefits. I tried calling the SSA for clarification beforehand, but spent hours on hold and never got through. I eventually used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to reach an agent quickly. They got me connected to SSA in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU It was worth it to actually speak with someone who could analyze my specific situation before making a permanent decision.
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Sofia Martinez
To correct some misinformation above: Regarding survivor benefits, @user7 - your aunt's situation was likely different. If your uncle had already started receiving reduced benefits when he passed away, then your aunt would receive a percentage based on what he was actually receiving, not his full benefit amount. Another possibility is that she claimed survivor benefits before her Full Retirement Age, which would reduce the amount. @OP - For your situation, assuming you wait until 70 to claim, if you pass away after that, your wife would be eligible for 100% of your age-70 benefit (including delayed retirement credits) IF she waits until her FRA to claim survivor benefits.
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Dmitry Volkov
•Oh that makes sense. My uncle did claim early I think. Nobody tells you these things until its too late!
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Miguel Alvarez
my wife and i did something similar. she took her ss at 62 cuz she had health issues and i waited till 68. she got her check and then when i filed she got a bump but not much. maybe like $230 more per month. its all a gamble really because who knows how long any of us have. if your wife needs the money now take it. if not and shes healthy maybe wait.
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
•That's a good point about it being a gamble. She doesn't absolutely need the money now, but was thinking it might make sense to get something while waiting for the bigger benefit later. Sounds like that strategy doesn't work as well as we hoped.
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Dylan Mitchell
In answer to whether there's any advantage to filing early in your situation - it really depends on several factors: 1) Your wife's life expectancy (health status, family history) 2) How much lower her PIA is compared to yours 3) Your immediate cash flow needs 4) Your investment options for the early benefits Generally, if your wife's benefit is substantially lower than yours and you're confident you'll live past 80, having her wait until FRA often makes more mathematical sense. The break-even point is usually around age 78-82. Also, remember that if you pass away before she does, she can switch to your higher benefit as a survivor at that point regardless of when she initially filed.
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Zainab Yusuf
•break even calculations are interesting but what about inflation? doesn't taking it early protect against inflation since COLAs are applied to a smaller base? i read something about this somewhere but cant remember the details
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Sofia Martinez
@user8 - COLA adjustments are percentage-based, so a smaller benefit gets a smaller dollar increase, while a larger benefit gets a larger dollar increase. The percentage is the same. So waiting for a larger benefit actually provides better inflation protection in terms of absolute dollars. @OP - One other consideration: If your wife has a lower life expectancy or health concerns, taking benefits at 62 might make sense despite the reduction. But if she's in good health with family longevity, waiting would likely provide more lifetime income, especially if you predecease her and she switches to survivor benefits.
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Fatima Al-Hashemi
•Thank you all for the insights. My wife is in good health and has longevity in her family. Based on what I'm hearing, it sounds like waiting until at least her FRA would be better long-term, even though it's tempting to start the income stream earlier. We'll need to revisit our retirement budget plans.
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