Social Security spousal benefit timing question - Can wife delay top-up until FRA?

I went through something similar last year. From my experience, they DO NOT automatically start the spousal benefit when your wife becomes eligible. She will need to apply for it. This actually works in your favor because she can choose to wait those 5 months until her FRA to avoid any reduction in the spousal portion. If she applies for the spousal benefit before her FRA, even by just a month, that portion gets permanently reduced. The SSA website doesn't explain this clearly, which is why so many of us get confused!

wait im confused. does she get both benefits? her own and yours? or do they just give her the difference between the two?

The SSA screwed up my wife's benefits badly. They automatically started her spousal when I filed and it took 9 months to fix it!!! Make sure you talk to a supervisor and get everything in writing!!!

The confusion here stems from how SSA handles deemed filing. Under current rules (for people born after 1/1/1954), when you file for any benefit, you're deemed to have filed for all benefits you're eligible for at that time. However, your wife's situation is unique because she'll file for her retirement before she's eligible for spousal (since you haven't filed yet). When you later file at 70, she'll become eligible for spousal, but it's not automatically applied. She will need to apply for the spousal benefit, and yes, she can choose to wait those 5 months until her FRA to avoid reduction. The spousal top-up amount is permanently reduced only if she applies for it before her FRA. According to POMS GN 00204.035, she has the choice of when to file for the additional spousal benefits after becoming eligible. If she waits those 5 months, her total benefit would be her own reduced retirement ($1,320) plus the unreduced spousal top-up amount.

When you file at 70, your wife should contact SSA immediately and clearly state that she wants to delay the spousal application until she reaches her FRA. I'd recommend doing this in writing (through the Message Center in her my Social Security account) and calling to confirm they've documented her request in their system. For anyone dealing with complicated Social Security timing issues and having trouble reaching someone knowledgeable at SSA, I've had good luck using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com). They help you skip the long hold times and actually get through to an agent. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me hours of frustration when dealing with my own spousal benefit questions.

my sister did this exact thing!!! she got her own benefit at 62 then waited til FRA for the spousal part when her husband was already collecting. worked out great for her! just make sure ur wife TELLS them she wants to wait for the spousal or they might just process it automatically

You might want to run some actual numbers before deciding. 5 months of higher payments might not offset the permanent reduction. Have you calculated both scenarios? Also, everyone's talking about the "full 50%" spousal benefit, but remember that's 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), NOT 50% of your age 70 benefit. Your PIA is what you'd get at your FRA, before any reductions or increases. A lot of people miss that detail and expect more than they actually get.

my head hurts trying to understand all this ss stuff lol good luck

Based on your follow-up with the actual benefit amounts, let me add some precision. If your PIA is $2,900 and your wife's reduced age 62 benefit is $1,320: 1. If she takes the spousal top-up 5 months before FRA, the spousal portion would be reduced by approximately 2.1% (0.42% per month × 5 months). 2. Her full spousal benefit would be $1,450 (50% of your $2,900 PIA) 3. With the 5-month reduction, her spousal portion would be about $1,420 instead of $1,450 4. Since she already receives $1,320 from her own record, the reduced top-up would be about $100/month instead of $130/month So the question becomes: Is waiting 5 months for an extra $30/month for the rest of her life worth giving up 5 months of receiving $100/month? The break-even point would be around 17 years.

Just wanted to add another perspective here - make sure your wife understands that once she starts receiving her own retirement benefit at 62, she'll be locked into that reduced amount forever (about 75% of her full benefit). The spousal top-up decision is separate, but her own benefit reduction is permanent. Also, I'd suggest calling SSA multiple times if you get conflicting information. I've found that different representatives sometimes give different answers, so it's worth getting a second or third opinion, especially for something this important. Document who you spoke with and when - ask for their employee ID if possible. One more thing - if your wife has any earnings between 62 and her FRA while collecting benefits, be aware of the earnings test limits. For 2024, she can earn up to $22,320 without affecting her benefits, but this changes annually.

As someone who just went through this process with my parents last year, I can confirm what others have said about needing to be very explicit with SSA about your timing preferences. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet - when your wife does eventually apply for the spousal benefit (whether at 5 months before FRA or at FRA), make sure she asks about retroactive benefits. If there's any delay in processing her application, she might be entitled to back payments to her eligibility date. Also, consider setting up a my Social Security account for both of you if you haven't already. It makes tracking everything much easier and you can send secure messages to SSA through the platform instead of waiting on hold. The message center has been a lifesaver for documenting our requests and keeping records of their responses.