Confused about Social Security spousal benefits calculation after wife claimed early at 62

The spousal benifit gets reduced too if she filed early. My wife filed at 62 and I filed at my FRA last year. Her spousal was reduced by the same % as her own SS check was reduced. The SSA website explains it but its super confusing.

I can clarify this for you. When someone files for their own benefits early, any future spousal benefits they may qualify for are also permanently reduced. The reduction percentage is based on the number of months before their FRA when they first filed for ANY benefit. In your wife's case, filing at 62 when her FRA is 66/67 means she took benefits approximately 48-60 months early. This permanently reduces both her own benefit AND her spousal benefit. The calculation works like this: 1. Her own reduced benefit continues: $1,250 2. The spousal boost will be: (50% of your PIA - her PIA) × reduction factor 3. The reduction factor for filing 48+ months early is roughly 65-70% of the full amount So if half your PIA minus her PIA would normally be $750, her spousal boost might be around $495-$525 after reduction. Expect her total to be approximately $1,745-$1,775, not $2,000. The confusion comes because many people think of spousal benefits as separate from retirement benefits, but SSA treats them as a supplement to retirement benefits after applying any applicable reductions.

my brother inlaw and his wife went thru this same thing!!! they told her one amount then it ended up being way less. they said its cause she filed at 63 and they reduce everything based on that. she was so mad because no one explained that to her before.

I went through this EXACT situation with my husband!!! The SSA website is SO CONFUSING on this topic. When I called the 800 number, I got disconnected THREE TIMES after waiting over an hour each time!! The fourth time, I got through but the rep gave me completely different information than what I read online. The reality is that if your spouse files early, BOTH benefits get reduced - their own AND the spousal addition. It's so frustrating because nowhere does it clearly explain this in simple terms!!! I finally got solid answers after using Claimyr to reach an actual SSA agent (https://claimyr.com). You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. It was the only way I could get through after days of frustration. The agent confirmed everything about how the reductions work and cleared up all my confusion.

Wow this thread is super interesting to me because I had no idea that both benefits get reduced if you file early! My wife filed at 62 also (3 years ago) and I'm turning 66 next month. We were counting on getting half my benefit added to hers. Now I'm worried we need to adjust our retirement budget...

The confusion comes from misunderstanding how Social Security refers to benefits. There's no separate "spousal benefit" and "retirement benefit" - there's just one benefit payment that's calculated using both factors. What happens is: 1. SSA calculates your wife's retirement benefit based on her work record (reduced for early filing) 2. SSA calculates the spousal benefit she'd be eligible for (also reduced for early filing) 3. SSA pays whichever is higher The key thing many people miss: when you're eligible for both, you don't get both amounts added together. You get the higher of the two calculations. In most cases like yours, what happens is she continues getting her own reduced benefit, plus a supplement that brings her up to the reduced spousal benefit amount. My advice: schedule an appointment at your local Social Security office. Bring documentation of both your earnings records. They can calculate the exact amount based on your specific situation.

The WHOLE system is designed to be confusing on purpose so people make mistakes and get less money!!!! My cousin works for SSA and even SHE says most of the agents don't understand all the rules. They literally change how they calculate things depending on who you talk to. I spent 6 months fighting with them over my widows benefits and got 3 different answers from 3 different people. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!!!

Here's the exact regulatory reference that may help clear this up. Under Social Security rules (specifically the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 20, Chapter III, §404.410), any benefits taken before FRA are subject to reduction factors. For your wife who claimed at 62, her own retirement benefit was reduced by approximately 25-30% from her PIA. When calculating her spousal benefit, Social Security will first determine if she's eligible for additional spousal benefits by comparing: - Her PIA (unreduced) to - 50% of your PIA If 50% of your PIA is higher, she qualifies for the difference. However, this difference is then reduced by the same early retirement reduction factor that applied when she first claimed benefits. The formula is complex, but the outcome is that both portions of her benefit are permanently reduced due to her early claiming decision. I recommend using the benefit calculators at SSA.gov for your specific numbers, or speaking with a representative who specializes in spousal benefit coordination.