Just learned my spouse can claim SS spousal benefits off my record - need advice on timing and amount

Yes, your wife absolutely can claim spousal benefits! The amount she'll receive depends on several factors, primarily whether she claims before her Full Retirement Age (FRA). If she claims at 63, she'll get approximately 37.5% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) instead of the full 50% she would receive at her FRA. Regarding switching later - this is a common misconception. If she takes spousal benefits early, she cannot later switch to her own higher benefit. When she applies, the SSA will give her the higher of either her own reduced benefit or the reduced spousal benefit. This is called \

Thank you for the detailed explanation! I had no idea about this \

my wife did this last year and it was honestly a nightmare dealing with SSA!! we waited on hold for like 3 hours and then got disconnected TWICE. when we finally got someone they gave us different answers than the previous person... so frustrating

I had the EXACT same experience trying to sort out my wife's spousal benefits last month! The phone system is absolutely BROKEN. First rep said she could get 50% of mine even though she's only 62, second rep said no way, third rep gave some complicated explanation about proportional reductions that I couldn't follow. Finally I discovered this service called Claimyr that got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They call SSA for you and connect you when an agent is on the line. Saved me from losing my mind! Check out their demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - you can see how it works at claimyr.com. Wish I'd known about it sooner instead of wasting days trying to get answers.

One important factor nobody mentioned - if your wife is still working, and she's under FRA, she'll be subject to the earnings test! For 2025, she can only earn up to $22,750 before they start withholding $1 of benefits for every $2 she earns above that limit. This applies to spousal benefits too, not just retirement. Also, does she qualify for Medicare yet? That's another consideration with timing.

She does still work part-time as a consultant, making about $31,000 annually. I completely forgot about the earnings test! So they would reduce her spousal benefit because of her income? That might make waiting until her FRA more attractive. She doesn't qualify for Medicare yet - still a couple years away.

congrats on the discovery! my husband and i were in a similar situation last year. i was getting about $1800 on my own record but switched to spousal and now get $2100 instead. definitely worth looking into!

wait i thought you couldn't switch? my wife was told once you choose you're stuck with that choice forever?? SSA told us that specifically, now im confused...

There's a lot of confusion here that needs clearing up. The rules depend entirely on when you and your wife were born.For people born after January 2, 1954, deemed filing rules apply, meaning when your wife files, she'll automatically be deemed to be filing for ALL benefits she's eligible for (her own and spousal) and will receive whichever is higher. She CANNOT take one now and switch later.For people born before January 2, 1954, there was a strategy called \

Oh that explains my situation! I was born in 1953 so I qualified for that restricted application thing. Sorry for the confusion everyone!

My wife just applied for spousal benefits last month and they told her the processing time is 2-3 months right now. Just FYI so you aren't surprised by the wait.

Thanks everyone for all this helpful information! I'm going to sit down with my wife tonight and look at her earnings record and run some calculations. It sounds like we need to weigh the reduced amount from claiming early against her continued work income and the earnings test. I think we'll probably try to schedule an appointment with SSA to get specifics for our situation before making any decisions.

Smart move! One more tip: when you call for that appointment, ask for a

That's exactly the kind of insider info I was hoping for! Will definitely ask for the claims specialist. Thanks again!