Should I wait until FRA to collect Social Security with minimal work history as a stay-at-home parent?

Your work history is pretty limited, so waiting might not increase your own benefit much. The primary benefit of waiting would be if you're planning to collect spousal benefits (50% of your husband's FRA benefit). If your husband has a significant work history, your spousal benefit might be larger than your own benefit regardless of when you file. Have you created a my Social Security account to see your estimated benefit amounts? That would tell you exactly what you're looking at.

In ur case waiting probly wont help much. i was home w/ kids too but for less time (15 yrs) and my benefit only went up like $75 btwn 62 and FRA. Not worth waiting! But ur spousal might be way better? What's your husbands benefit?

This is a classic case where understanding the specific rules matters. If you claim your own benefit early (before FRA), you will be permanently locked into a reduced spousal benefit later. If you want the full 50% spousal benefit, you MUST wait until your FRA to claim ANY benefit. This is because the "claim now, switch later" strategy was eliminated by the 2015 budget deal, except for certain grandfathered individuals. Since your husband's benefit at 70 will be $3,200, your full spousal benefit at your FRA would be $1,600 (50% of his FRA amount, which would be less than $3,200). This is likely significantly more than your own $450 benefit. You need to compare: 1. Taking your reduced benefit now (~$450/month) for 2.5 years = ~$13,500 total, but then only getting a permanently reduced spousal benefit for life. 2. Waiting 2.5 years, getting nothing during that time, but then receiving the full spousal benefit for life. The break-even analysis typically favors waiting in this scenario.

Yes, this changed with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. If you claim ANY benefit early, you trigger deemed filing rules which means you're filing for all benefits you're eligible for at that time. If you file before FRA, you'll get the higher of your own reduced benefit or your reduced spousal benefit, and that reduction is permanent. The only exceptions are: - Survivor benefits (different rules apply) - Those born before January 2, 1954 (grandfathered under old rules) - Those collecting spousal benefits while caring for a child under 16 or disabled Since you're 64.5 now (born around 2025-64.5 = ~1960-1961), you're subject to the current rules.

DONT TRUST THE ONLINE CALCULATORS!! The SSA website doesnt understand your specific situation!! I was a SAHM for 20 years and the website told me one thing but when i finally got through to an actual person they told me something COMPLETELY different! And then when i got my first payment it was a third amount!!! The whole system is designed to confuse us and shortchange us!!!

probably just take it now honey...that money could be gone tomorrow the way the government is going...bird in hand is worth two in the bush as they say...my sister waited and regretted it when they cut her benefits anyway due to some mistake they made...just my two cents

I was in a somewhat similar situation. Here's some important information to consider: 1. The inflation adjustment you mentioned only applies to how your earnings history is indexed when calculating your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). Since most of your earnings are recent, this won't impact you significantly. 2. Given your limited work history, the difference between claiming at 64.5 vs. 67 on your own record is relatively small. 3. The critical factor is the deemed filing rule that Profile2 mentioned. If you claim your own benefit before FRA, you'll permanently reduce your spousal benefit. 4. With your husband's benefit being $3,200 at age 70, his FRA benefit is approximately $2,400. Your full spousal benefit would be around $1,200 (50% of his FRA amount). 5. Compared to your $450 own benefit, waiting for the full spousal benefit likely makes mathematical sense. If you need to speak with SSA directly about your specific numbers, I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent quickly instead of waiting on hold for hours. Their service connects you with SSA representatives much faster - you can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. I used it when trying to understand my options and it saved me hours of frustration.

one thing nobody mentioned - if ur husband passes away u can get his FULL benefit as survivor benefit even if u took ur own early! so thats different than spousal. just something to think about in planning

That's correct. Survivor benefits follow different rules than spousal benefits. If your husband passes away, you would be eligible for his full benefit amount (including any delayed retirement credits he earned by waiting until 70). Taking your own benefit early does not reduce future survivor benefits. However, if you claim survivor benefits before your FRA, those specific benefits would be reduced. But this is a separate decision you would make if and when that unfortunate situation occurs. For your current decision, focus on whether waiting 2.5 years for potentially $750+ more per month in spousal benefits (the difference between your own benefit and the full spousal benefit) is worth forgoing about $13,500 in benefits over the next 2.5 years. For most people with normal life expectancy, waiting is mathematically advantageous.

Have u checked if u can get more on ur husbands record NOW? My wife got more on my record even before i retired! Worth checking!!

Thanks everyone for the advice! After reading all your comments, I'm leaning toward waiting until my FRA to claim any benefits. It seems like the math works out better long-term, even though it's tempting to take something now. I'm going to try that Claimyr service to talk directly with SSA and get the exact numbers for my situation. I'll also talk with my husband about our overall retirement strategy to make sure we're coordinating our claiming decisions properly. It's such a relief to get all this information!