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Should wife delay small SS benefit ($300) when husband will get $3000 at age 67? Spousal benefits confusion

My husband and I are trying to figure out the best strategy for claiming SS benefits, particularly since there's a pretty big gap in what we'll each receive. I'm 63 (turning 64 next month) and my husband is 61. Based on my limited work history, my retirement benefit would only be about $375/month if I claim at 65. My husband, on the other hand, will get approximately $3750 at his full retirement age (67). I've heard conflicting things about spousal benefits. Should I take my tiny benefit now or wait until my husband files? I'm confused about whether I'd get 50% of his benefit as a spouse or if they just bump up my smaller benefit to that amount. Does claiming early permanently reduce what I might get as a spousal benefit later? Financially we're okay for now, but I'm worried about maximizing what we get long-term. Any advice from folks who've navigated this spousal benefit situation would be really appreciated!

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16 comments

Giovanni Colombo

•15d

This is a classic spousal benefit coordination question. Here's what you need to know: 1. If you claim your own benefit at 65, you'll get $375/month, but permanently reduced from your full retirement age amount. 2. When your husband files at 67, you would be eligible for a spousal benefit. The maximum spousal benefit is 50% of your husband's PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), which would be approximately $1,875. 3. Important: You don't get both benefits. Social Security pays your own benefit first, then adds enough of the spousal benefit to bring you up to the spousal amount you're entitled to. 4. If you've already claimed your own reduced benefit, your spousal benefit will also be reduced based on when you claimed your own benefit. 5. If you wait until your husband files at 67, you would be 69 by then, past your own FRA. This would maximize your spousal benefit. My recommendation: If you don't urgently need the income, waiting until your husband files will likely give you the highest lifetime benefit.

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Giovanni Colombo

•15d

This is an important perspective, but there's more to consider. Yes, she'd collect $22,500 over those 5 years, but the reduction to her spousal benefit would be permanent and could cost significantly more over her lifetime. If her spousal benefit is reduced from $1,875 to approximately $1,600 per month due to early filing (this is an estimate), that's a $275 monthly reduction for potentially 20+ years of retirement. That's over $66,000 in reduced benefits over 20 years. It's ultimately a break-even calculation that depends on life expectancy and financial needs. If immediate income is necessary or health concerns suggest a shorter life expectancy, taking benefits earlier makes sense. Otherwise, waiting often provides more lifetime income.

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Dylan Campbell

•15d

I helped my parents navigate this exact situation last year. One important factor nobody's mentioned yet: if your husband passes away, you'll be eligible for survivor benefits equal to 100% of what he was receiving. If maximizing this potential survivor benefit is important, your husband might actually consider delaying his benefit even beyond FRA to age 70, which would increase his benefit by 8% per year (and consequently, your potential survivor benefit). Based on the significant difference between your benefits, a common strategy is: 1. You claim your own reduced benefit at 65 2. Your husband delays until 70 if possible 3. When your husband files, you switch to the spousal benefit if it's higher 4. If your husband passes away, you switch to the survivor benefit You should definitely call SSA to discuss your specific situation, but as others have mentioned, getting through can be extremely frustrating.

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Sofia Torres

•15d

I tried calling SSA about a similar situation for MONTHS and could never get through! Ended up using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in under 30 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU It was definitely worth it to speak with an actual agent who could explain my specific situation instead of trying to piece together advice from different sources. The agent was able to run calculations specifically for my husband and me and show us exactly what we'd get under different filing scenarios.

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Dylan Campbell

•15d

While it's true that you might get different answers depending on who you speak with, it's still valuable to get your specific numbers from SSA. Just make sure to take good notes, get the representative's name, and perhaps call more than once to verify the information. You can also request a detailed benefit calculation in writing, which tends to be more reliable than verbal explanations. The reality is that Social Security rules are incredibly complex, and the optimal strategy truly depends on your specific earnings record, age difference, health outlook, and financial needs.

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Giovanni Colombo

•15d

You're absolutely right about deemed filing. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 eliminated many file-and-switch strategies. For anyone born after January 1, 1954, when you file for any retirement benefit, you're deemed to have filed for all benefits you're eligible for. In the original poster's case, this means when her husband files at 67 and she becomes eligible for spousal benefits, she'll automatically receive the higher of either her own benefit (potentially reduced if she claimed early) or her spousal benefit (also potentially reduced if she claimed her own benefit early). This reinforces why getting personalized advice from SSA about your specific situation is so important. The deemed filing rules have significantly changed optimal claiming strategies.

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