Confused about spousal SS benefit calculation at FRA when husband delays until 70

You're right to be skeptical about what that representative told you. Your spousal benefit will definitely NOT be based on your husband's age-70 amount. The maximum spousal benefit is always 50% of the higher earner's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is their benefit amount at their full retirement age. Since you took your own benefits early at 62, your spousal benefit will indeed be reduced. The formula gets complicated, but essentially when you reach your FRA, you'll receive your own reduced benefit plus a supplement that brings the total to somewhat less than 50% of your husband's PIA. In your case, you'd get approximately your current $687 plus a supplement that would bring your total to around $2,057 (slightly less than the full 50% of his FRA amount due to the early claiming reduction).

Omg I'm going through something similar and the SSA people keep telling me different things every time I call!!! One person said my spousal would be 50% of whatever my husband gets when he applies (he hasn't applied yet) and another said it would be based on his FRA amount not his delayed amount. I don't even know WHO to believe anymore!!!

Social Security rules are so confusing. I think your benefit would be half your husband's FRA amount minus your FRA amount. So $4540 ÷ 2 = $2270, then minus $975 = $1295 supplemental amount. But then you have to add your current reduced benefit of $687. So maybe about $1982 total? I'm not an expert though.

I had a nightmare trying to get accurate spousal benefit info from SSA too. After getting different answers from 3 different reps, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real SSA agent in 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. The agent I finally spoke with pulled up my actual record and gave me the exact calculation. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Before that I was going crazy trying to figure it out on my own!

my wife went thru this last yr. she got her own benefit at 62 (way lower than yours btw) and when i hit 70 and started collecing she got the spousal bump but it was WAY lower than we thought it would be. the SSA didnt even notify her it just showed up one month. check ur myssa acct online every month after ur husband files.

Here's the exact breakdown of your situation: 1. Your husband's PIA (benefit at FRA) is $4,540 2. Your maximum spousal benefit would be 50% of that: $2,270 3. Because you took your retirement at 62, your spousal benefit will be reduced 4. The formula is complicated, but the reduction is based on the number of months before FRA you claimed (60 months) 5. Your spousal benefit will be approximately your current $687 plus a supplement of about $1,370, totaling around $2,057 To get an exact calculation, you need to speak with an SSA representative who knows how to properly calculate it using your actual Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) values and exact claiming dates. Request to speak with a Technical Expert or Claims Specialist who can do this calculation properly.

UR OVERTHINKING THIS!! Just apply for the spousal when u hit 67 and they'll give u whatever ur entitled to. All this calculating is just making u crazy. SSA will figure it out - thats what they do!

WAIT! I just realized something important... if your husband is just now 70, has he already filed for his benefits? Because you can't get a spousal benefit until he files for his retirement benefit! Even if you're at your FRA, if he hasn't filed yet, you can't get anything based on his record.

One suggestion I want to make: request an appointment with a Claims Specialist at your local office rather than trying to resolve this by phone. Bring your husband with you if possible, as they may need information from both records. In-person appointments often result in more thorough explanations and accurate calculations since they can show you the numbers directly on their system. And make sure to ask them to provide you with a breakdown of the calculation in writing. This will be valuable for your records and for verifying that everything was done correctly.