How to maximize spousal benefits when wife claiming at 65 and my benefits are higher than hers?
Been receiving my Social Security retirement for about 3 years now (started at my full retirement age of 66 and 6 months). My wife turns 65 next year and we're trying to figure out the best approach. She's worked enough quarters to qualify for her own benefit, but we've calculated that 50% of my benefit would give her more money each month. What's the smartest way for her to apply? Should she apply for her own benefits first and then request the spousal amount as a supplement? Or can she just directly apply for the spousal benefit? We want to make sure we're maximizing what she can receive. Any advice from folks who've navigated this situation would be appreciated!
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Yara Sayegh
Your wife should apply for BOTH benefits at the same time - her own retirement and the spousal benefit. Social Security will automatically give her the higher amount. But be aware, since she's filing before her full retirement age, both her own benefit AND the spousal benefit will be reduced permanently. At 65, her own benefit would be reduced by about 13.3% from her PIA, and her spousal benefit would be reduced by about 8.3% from the 50% maximum. She might want to consider waiting until her FRA to get the full 50% of your benefit without reduction.
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Connor Gallagher
•Thanks for this explanation! I didn't realize both benefits would be reduced if she claims at 65. Do you know roughly how much money she'd be leaving on the table by claiming at 65 vs waiting until her FRA? And does it matter if I'm already collecting?
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Keisha Johnson
my wife went thru this last yr. it was a NIGHTMARE trying to get someone on the phone to help us figure out the right way to apply!!! we waited 4 HOURS and then got disconnected!!!
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Paolo Longo
•I had the same experience trying to reach SSA about spousal benefits! After getting disconnected THREE times, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a live agent in under 20 minutes. Saved me hours of frustration. They have a demo video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU and their website is claimyr.com if you're interested. Totally worth it for important benefit questions like this where you need to speak to an actual human.
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CosmicCowboy
From someone who's been through this process, here's my advice: 1) When your wife applies, she needs to apply for RETIREMENT benefits (her own record). The spousal benefit will be automatically considered. 2) The system is designed to pay the highest benefit she's entitled to, but the SSA rep needs to know you're already receiving benefits. 3) Since she's applying before her Full Retirement Age (which is probably 66+4 months based on birth year), her spousal benefit will be permanently reduced. 4) At 65, she'll get approximately 45.8% of your PIA instead of the full 50% she'd get at her FRA. 5) The fact that you waited until FRA doesn't affect her reduction. Each person's benefits are calculated separately. If maximizing is truly the goal, waiting until her FRA would be better, but many people prefer taking benefits earlier.
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Connor Gallagher
•This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I think we need to reconsider our timing. If I'm understanding correctly, she'd get about 4.2% less for the rest of her life by claiming at 65 instead of her FRA. That adds up over time.
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Amina Diallo
My husband and I just went through this. As long as your wife has reached 62, she can apply for spousal benefits. But its reduced if taken before FRA. We decided to wait till FRA for the full 50%
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Oliver Schulz
•That's not COMPLETELY accurate. You can't JUST apply for spousal benefits anymore unless you were born before January 2, 1954. The rules changed with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. Now when you apply, you're deemed to be applying for ALL benefits you're eligible for! The SSA gives you whichever is higher.
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Natasha Orlova
we did this last year and the SSA office was actually really helpful! make an appointment in person if u can, so much easier than phone
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Yara Sayegh
To answer your question about how much money she'd leave on the table: If your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) is $2,000 for example, then at her FRA she'd get $1,000 as a spouse (50%). But at age 65, she'd get about $917 per month (45.8% of your PIA). That's $83 less per month or about $996 less per year, continuing for her lifetime. Over 20 years, that's nearly $20,000 in reduced benefits. And yes, it doesn't matter that you're already collecting - her reduction is based solely on her age when she files.
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Connor Gallagher
•Wow, those numbers really put it in perspective. $20,000 over 20 years is significant. I think we need to seriously consider having her wait until FRA. Do you know if there's any calculator on the SSA website where we can plug in our specific numbers?
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Yara Sayegh
•Yes, the SSA has a good retirement calculator at ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/estimator.html that can give you personalized estimates. Your wife should also create a my Social Security account if she hasn't already to see her earnings record and benefit estimates. For the most accurate calculation that includes spousal benefits, you might want to use one of the specialized Social Security calculators online or schedule an appointment with SSA.
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Keisha Johnson
my neighbor said his wife got more money by filing for divorced spouse benefits from her ex instead of current husband!!! maybe look into that if either of you had previous marriages that lasted over 10 years????
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CosmicCowboy
•This is actually a good point, though it only applies in specific circumstances. If either of you had a previous marriage lasting at least 10 years, and the ex-spouse's benefit calculation would result in a higher amount, that's worth investigating. SSA will not automatically check this - you have to specifically mention previous marriages when applying.
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Connor Gallagher
Thanks everyone for the helpful responses. I'm going to suggest to my wife that we wait until her FRA to maximize her spousal benefit. Those reduction amounts really add up over time! Neither of us has previous marriages over 10 years, so we don't need to explore that angle. I appreciate all the insights - this forum has been way more helpful than trying to decipher the SSA website.
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