Confused about claiming my own Social Security benefits plus spousal benefits at the same time

No, you cannot receive both your own retirement benefit AND a full spousal benefit simultaneously. The Social Security Administration will pay you the higher of the two amounts, not both combined. In your case, as the spouse with the lower benefit, you would receive your own retirement benefit of $1,100/month. If your spousal benefit (which is up to 50% of your husband's FRA benefit) would be higher, you'd receive an amount equal to your own benefit plus the difference to reach the spousal benefit level. The maximum spousal benefit you could receive would be approximately $1,375 (50% of your husband's $2,750). Since that's higher than your own $1,100 benefit, you would receive your own benefit plus a spousal add-on to reach that $1,375 total. Hope that helps clarify things!

The previous response isn't quite right. What actually happens is the SSA gives you the HIGHER of either your own benefit OR the spousal benefit. You don't get your own plus a spousal add-on. Since your own benefit is $1,100 and the spousal benefit would be $1,375 (50% of your husband's FRA benefit), you would receive $1,375 total - not your benefit plus something extra. Timing is also important here. Your husband needs to file for his benefits before you can claim spousal benefits. And if either of you claim before your Full Retirement Age, your benefits will be permanently reduced.

To clarify my earlier comment and the confusion here: The technical way SSA calculates this is that you receive your own benefit, and then they add a "spousal boost" to reach the maximum spousal benefit amount if that would be higher. The end result is you get the higher of the two amounts, but the calculation method matters for certain situations. This is why it's often described both ways, causing confusion. What you CANNOT do is receive both your full retirement benefit AND a full spousal benefit simultaneously (which seems to be what your friend suggested).

I've been dealing with this exact situation. Here's what I learned when I finally reached a knowledgeable SSA rep after calling for THREE DAYS straight. I was going to give up, but I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at Social Security in under 20 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU that shows how it works. Worth it to get clear answers about this complicated stuff. Anyway, the rep confirmed you get the higher of the two benefits, not both. But there are strategies about WHEN each of you should claim that can maximize your lifetime benefits. In my case, we had my higher-earning husband delay until 70 while I claimed at my FRA.

my aunt thought the same thing but its not true. u only get the bigger amount. but what u CAN do is claim ur own benefit early at 62 (it'll be reduced) and then switch to the spouse benefit later when ur husband files. or other way around. depends on ur ages and amounts tho

MY SISTER WENT THROUGH THIS LAST YEAR! The Social Security people kept giving her different answers every time she called!!! She ended up hiring a financial advisor who specializes in SS benefits because it was so confusing. Her situation was kind of like yours - she worked part time and her husband made more money. They told her she could ONLY get one benefit - either her own OR the spousal. Not both! The rules changed back in 2016 and they don't let you do some of the strategies people used to use.

When I turned 62 last year I had a similar question. My husband is 64 and still working. What I learned after a LOT of research is that you technically get your own benefit first, and then they add an additional amount to reach the spousal benefit level IF the spousal benefit is higher. But here's something else to consider - if your husband keeps working until 70, his benefit will increase by 8% per year from his FRA to age 70. That means your potential spousal benefit would increase too (since it's 50% of his). Might be worth looking into.

We retired last year and i had almost the exact numbers as you. I get my own benefit plus a little extra to reach the spouse amount. It ended up being about $1250 for me on my own and then they added another $200 to get me up to the spouse amount (which was half of my husbands benefit). So your friend was kinda right but also wrong because you dont get BOTH full amounts.

A few years back I was told I'd get my own SS plus spousal but when I actually applied they said no, just the higher amount. I was so frustrated! I waited on the phone for 3 hours to talk to someone who could explain it. One important thing no one mentioned yet - if you take your benefit early (before your Full Retirement Age), your spousal benefit will be permanently reduced too. It's not just your own benefit that gets cut for claiming early.

As someone new to understanding Social Security, I really appreciate all the detailed responses here! It sounds like the key takeaway is that you get the HIGHER of either your own benefit OR the spousal benefit, not both stacked together like your friend suggested. From what I'm reading, in your case you'd get your $1,100 own benefit plus an additional amount to bring you up to the spousal benefit level of $1,375 (50% of your husband's $2,750). So you'd receive $1,375 total, not $1,100 + $1,375. One thing I'm curious about - several people mentioned timing strategies. Since your husband is 63 and you're 61, and assuming your Full Retirement Ages are around 67, you both still have some time to plan this out. Have you considered working with a Social Security specialist to run different scenarios for when each of you should claim? It seems like the timing could make a big difference in your total lifetime benefits. Also, thanks to whoever mentioned that service for getting through to SSA - sounds like that could save a lot of frustration when you're ready to get official answers!

This is such a common source of confusion! I went through the same thing when my spouse and I were planning our retirement strategy a couple years ago. Just to add another perspective to what everyone has shared - one thing that really helped us was creating a simple spreadsheet to compare different claiming scenarios. We looked at things like: - What if I claim at 62 vs waiting until FRA vs waiting until 70? - What if my spouse claims early vs delays? - How does the timing of each person's claim affect the other's benefits? The break-even analysis was eye-opening. Yes, claiming early gives you money sooner, but if you live into your 80s (which many people do these days), the reduced benefits really add up over time. Also, don't forget about survivor benefits! If something happens to the higher-earning spouse, the surviving spouse gets the higher of the two benefits. So your husband delaying his claim until 70 could mean a much higher survivor benefit for you down the road. I know it feels overwhelming, but once you understand the basics (which it sounds like you're getting from all these great responses), you can make informed decisions about what works best for your specific situation.