Retiring at 70 while spouse takes SS early at 65 - any issues with this dual filing strategy?

Your plan is actually quite sound. At 70, you're maximizing your own benefit with the 32% increase from delayed retirement credits. As for your wife taking benefits at 65, she'll face approximately a 13.3% reduction from her full retirement amount (assuming her FRA is 67). One thing to consider: Have you compared whether your wife would get more from her own reduced benefit or from a spousal benefit based on your record? Sometimes, even with the reduction for claiming early, the spousal benefit (up to 50% of your PIA) might be higher than her own earned benefit if her earnings history was significantly lower than yours.

my mom did something similar last year and ended up getting less than she should have!!! make sure u double check that the amounts r right when they start paying u. they messed up her back pay too and it took 3 months to fix!!!

I went through pretty much the SAME exact situation with my husband last year! I waited until 69.5 to file and my husband filed at 64 due to health issues. The SSA totally messed up our application and it took FOREVER to fix!!!! We filed online and that was a HUGE mistake. They didn't properly calculate his spousal benefit and we had to call literally 48 times before someone fixed it. DO NOT TRUST THE ONLINE SYSTEM for complicated situations!!

Your strategy makes sense given your circumstances. At 70, you'll receive 132% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which maximizes your lifetime benefit assuming average longevity. For your wife, filing at 65 means approximately a 13.3% reduction from her full benefit, which is reasonable given her health concerns. What's important here is understanding the deemed filing rules. Since your wife is applying after 2016, if she files for retirement benefits, she'll be deemed to have filed for any spousal benefits she's eligible for as well. SSA should automatically pay her the higher amount between her own retirement benefit and the spousal benefit (which would be up to 50% of your PIA, reduced because she's filing early). I'd recommend creating accounts on my.ssa.gov for both of you to see your estimated benefits before filing if you haven't already. This can help with planning.

just a heads up they base the spousal benefit on your PIA not the increased amount you get at 70. lots of people don't realize this and get disappointed when the spousal benefit is less than they expected

I'd strongly recommend scheduling an appointment with your local SSA office for this situation. While filing online works well for simple cases, your scenario has enough variables that speaking with a representative would be beneficial. They can run calculations to determine whether your wife's own benefit or a spousal benefit would be higher, and explain exactly how the reduction factors will apply. Also, make sure you bring: - Birth certificates for both of you - Marriage certificate - Your wife's medical records if you're considering SSDI instead of early retirement - Recent tax returns - A summary of your wife's work history, especially the years around 2012 when she stopped working Having this documentation will make the appointment much more productive.

I was in a similar boat trying to reach SSA about my spousal benefits last month. Tried calling for 3 weeks with no luck - either constant busy signals or 3+ hour hold times that ended with disconnects. I finally tried this service called Claimyr that got me through to a rep in about 20 minutes. They basically call SSA for you and connect you when a rep answers. Saved me hours of frustration! You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU and their site is claimyr.com. Worth it just to get my questions answered without the wait.

IMPORTANT THING NO ONE MENTIONED YET: Check if your wife qualifies for MEDICARE PREMIUM ASSISTANCE!!! Since she hasn't worked since 2012, she might qualify for help with her Part B premium depending on your combined income. We missed this and paid full price for 8 months before someone told us!!

my aunt did almost exactly what ur doing. she took her benefits at 65 and her husband waited till 70. they said it worked great for them because they got some income sooner but still maximized his benefit which was the bigger one. seems smart to me

To follow up on my earlier comment, when your wife files, SSA should automatically determine which is higher - her own reduced retirement benefit or her reduced spousal benefit. However, there's an important timing consideration here. Since you haven't filed for your own benefits yet, your wife can only get her own retirement benefit initially. Once you file next month, SSA should automatically recalculate to see if she qualifies for an additional amount as a spouse. This happens because spousal benefits can't be paid until the primary worker (you) has filed. This two-step process sometimes gets overlooked in the system, which is why having records of everything and following up is crucial. I'd suggest calling SSA or using the Claimyr service someone mentioned about 30 days after you file to ensure the spousal calculation was properly processed.