Should my wife claim Social Security at 62 while I'm still working? Worried about reduction from my salary

Your wife's benefit won't be reduced due to YOUR earnings - that's not how it works. However, if she starts collecting at 62, she'll permanently reduce her own retirement benefit by about 30% from what she'd get at her Full Retirement Age (66 and 10 months for her birth year). The more important question is whether she should take her own reduced benefit now OR wait until you file and take a spousal benefit (up to 50% of your PIA). It depends on whether her own benefit is higher or lower than half of yours.

my wife started colecting at 62 while i was still working and it worked fine for us. but remember she gets locked into that lower amount FOREVER so make sure thats ok with u guys

You've got a strategic decision to make, and the right choice depends entirely on the numbers. Here's what you need to know: 1. If your wife claims now at 62, she'll get a permanently reduced benefit (about 30% less than her full amount). 2. When you eventually file for your benefits, she'll be eligible for a spousal benefit (up to 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount) 3. The key calculation: If her own reduced benefit is LESS than what she'd get as a spouse, then when you file, the SSA will give her a combination of benefits equaling the higher spousal amount. Without knowing your specific benefit amounts, I'd recommend getting a break-even analysis done. For most couples where one spouse has a much stronger earnings record, it often makes sense for the lower-earning spouse to wait until the higher earner files.

Here's a key point that hasn't been addressed: If your wife files for her own benefits now AND she'll eventually qualify for a higher spousal benefit, she'll get what's called a "deemed filing." This means she'll get her own reduced benefit PLUS a reduced excess spousal benefit when you file. The total will likely be LESS than if she had waited until her FRA to claim spousal benefits. So if her own benefit is much smaller than what she'd get as your spouse, there could be a significant financial advantage to waiting.

Having dealt with a similar situation, I can tell you reaching the SSA to get personalized advice on this is essential but incredibly frustrating. I spent weeks trying to get through on their 800 number without success. Eventually I found Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an agent in about 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent I spoke with ran calculations specific to our situation that showed my wife should wait to claim spousal benefits rather than taking her own reduced benefit early. The numbers made our decision clear.

Ok but nobody's talking about the EARNINGS TEST!!! If your wife is under FRA (which she is at 62) and earns over the annual limit ($21,240 in 2025), then $1 in benefits is withheld for every $2 she earns above the limit. But you said she's not working, so this wouldn't apply to her - just want to make sure you understand this doesn't apply to YOUR earnings affecting HER benefits.

Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I think I understand better now. Since my wife's own benefit would be much less than her potential spousal benefit (based on my earnings history), it might make more sense for her to wait until I file for my benefits. But I'll definitely get some specific calculations done through the SSA to confirm the best approach for our situation. This is more complicated than I thought!

WAIT!!! Something nobody mentioned - if she waits till her FRA she can choose to ONLY file for spousal benefits and let her OWN benefit continue to grow until 70!!! That's what my financial advisor told me is the best strategy!!!!!

something nobody asked is what ur cashflow is like right now. if u guys need the money now then maybe its worth taking the hit. my wife and i did cause we needed to fix our roof. sometimes the math doesnt matter as much as what u need right now ya know?

One thing to consider that might help with your decision: since you're planning to work only about one more year, you could potentially delay your own benefits until age 67 to earn delayed retirement credits (8% per year), which would increase both your benefit AND your wife's potential spousal benefit. If your wife's own benefit is significantly lower than half of yours, and you're financially stable without her benefits for now, waiting might make sense. But if that extra year of her benefits (even reduced) would provide meaningful financial relief or peace of mind, claiming now isn't necessarily wrong - especially since you mentioned the monthly difference won't significantly impact your finances. The key is getting those actual dollar amounts from SSA to see exactly how much you'd be leaving on the table either way.

This thread has been incredibly comprehensive! As someone who works with seniors navigating Social Security decisions, I wanted to add one practical consideration that often gets overlooked: the application processing time. If your wife decides to claim benefits, it can take 3-6 months for the first payment to arrive after filing. So if you're leaning toward having her claim now, don't wait until you absolutely need the income to start the application process. The SSA allows you to choose a benefit start date up to 4 months in the future, which can help with timing. Also, I'd strongly recommend creating accounts on ssa.gov for both of you if you haven't already. You can get fairly accurate benefit estimates there, though nothing replaces speaking with an actual SSA representative for complex situations like yours with spousal benefits involved. One last thought: given all the excellent analysis in this thread about optimal claiming strategies, remember that there's value in simplicity too. If claiming now gives you peace of mind and the financial difference isn't make-or-break for your retirement, sometimes the "good enough" decision beats the "perfect" decision that keeps you awake at night!