Social Security spousal benefits - Will I get 50% of husband's age 70 amount or FRA amount?

Your spousal benefit will be based on your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is the benefit amount he would receive at his full retirement age. It doesn't matter that he's waiting until 70 to claim - spousal benefits don't include the delayed retirement credits he'll earn by waiting. This is a common misunderstanding. The 50% spousal benefit is calculated using his FRA amount only. Your husband benefits from his delayed credits, but unfortunately, those increases don't factor into spousal benefit calculations.

i Think the other person is correct... my sister gets spousal and hers is based on her husbands FRA amount not his actual amount. she was super dissapointed when she found out but thats how it works i guess!!

The previous responses are correct. Spousal benefits are based on 50% of the worker's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is the benefit amount payable at Full Retirement Age, regardless of when the worker actually claims benefits. However, there are other important considerations in your situation: 1. If you have your own work record, you'll always receive the higher of either your own benefit or the spousal benefit 2. If you claim spousal benefits before your own FRA, they'll be permanently reduced 3. You can't claim spousal benefits until your husband files for his own benefits 4. Once your husband passes away, you may be eligible for survivor benefits, which DO include any delayed retirement credits he earned by waiting until 70 Considering these factors, it might make sense to claim your own benefits at FRA and then switch to survivor benefits later if they would be higher.

When my husband turned 70 last year, I learned this exact lesson the hard way. Been married 42 years and I worked part-time most of my life. Was counting on getting half his age 70 benefit but nope - just half of his FRA amount. Such a disappointment. My advice - definitely calculate both options (your own benefit vs spousal) because depending on your work history, your own might actually be better!

Has anyone here successfully gotten through to SS recently? I've been trying to ask a similar question for WEEKS and can't get a real person on the phone. It's beyond frustrating!!! Their website doesn't answer my specific situation either.

To answer your follow-up question - whether you should file on your own record at FRA - it really depends on your specific numbers. Since you've worked 25 years, you might find that your own benefit is close to or even higher than the spousal benefit. If your own benefit at FRA would be less than 50% of your husband's PIA, then waiting until he files at 70 to claim spousal benefits might make sense. But if your own benefit is higher, claim that when it makes sense for you. Remember that your own retirement benefit increases with delayed retirement credits too. So if your own benefit is close to the spousal amount, it might actually exceed the spousal benefit if you also wait to claim.

Just wanted to add on something important - even though spousal benefits are based on FRA amount, SURVIVOR benefits are different! When your spouse dies, the survivor gets the FULL amount the deceased was receiving, including those delayed retirement credits from waiting till 70. That's why many financial advisors suggest the higher earner delay till 70 - not for the spouse benefit but for the eventual survivor benefit.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO CONFUSE US!!! Why can't they just make one simple rule instead of all these complicated exceptions and special cases?? No wonder their phone lines are always jammed with people asking questions.

Thanks everyone for all this helpful information! Based on your advice, I'll: 1) Get my most recent SS statement to compare my benefit to the potential spousal benefit, 2) Look at the difference between claiming my own benefit at FRA versus waiting, and 3) Factor in the survivor benefit protection my husband's delayed claiming provides. This has been so much more helpful than the generic information on the SSA website. Would anyone recommend meeting with a financial advisor who specializes in Social Security, or is that unnecessary?

Welcome to the community! I'm also navigating Social Security planning and this thread has been incredibly helpful. One thing I'd add is that you might want to consider using the SSA's online benefit calculators at ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/estimator.html to get a clearer picture of your own benefit estimates at different claiming ages. Also, I've found that many local senior centers or AARP chapters offer free Social Security workshops where volunteers help walk through these scenarios. Sometimes having someone sit down with you and your actual numbers can make all the difference in understanding your options. The survivor benefit point that Carmen made is really important - it's not just about the monthly income while you're both alive, but about securing your financial future if you end up widowed. That higher survivor benefit from your husband waiting until 70 could be worth tens of thousands of dollars over your lifetime.

As someone who just went through this exact decision process last year, I can confirm what others have said - spousal benefits are definitely based on the FRA amount, not the age 70 amount. My husband delayed until 70 and I was initially disappointed to learn this. However, I want to emphasize something that really helped me: make sure you're comparing apples to apples when you look at your own benefit vs. spousal benefit. Your own benefit can also earn delayed retirement credits if you wait past your FRA, so don't just compare your FRA amount to the spousal benefit amount. I ended up claiming my own benefit at 67 (my FRA) because even though it was slightly less than the spousal benefit would have been, I didn't want to wait until my husband filed at 70 to start receiving anything. The peace of mind of having my own income stream was worth the small difference to me. One more tip - if you do decide to wait for spousal benefits, remember you literally cannot claim them until your husband files for his own benefits. So you'd be waiting until he turns 70 with no Social Security income at all during that time.

Just wanted to share another resource that might help with your calculations - the Social Security Administration has a detailed publication called "When to Start Receiving Retirement Benefits" (Publication No. 05-10147) that walks through scenarios like yours with actual examples and numbers. What really struck me about your situation is that you're thinking about this strategically at 63, which gives you time to make an informed decision. Many people don't realize they have these choices until they're already at retirement age. One thing I'd suggest is creating a simple spreadsheet comparing three scenarios: 1) claiming your own benefit at FRA, 2) claiming your own benefit at 70 with delayed credits, and 3) claiming spousal benefits when your husband files at 70. Factor in the years of no income if you wait for spousal, and you might find that your own benefit pathway looks more attractive than you initially thought. Also, don't forget that if you're still working, there are earnings limits to consider if you claim before your FRA. This could be another factor in your timing decision. The survivor benefit angle that others mentioned is crucial - your husband's decision to wait until 70 is essentially maximizing your potential widow's benefit, which could be a significant part of your financial security plan for your later years.

I just want to echo what others have said about the importance of getting your actual Social Security statement to see your projected benefits. You can create an account at ssa.gov/myaccount and see your estimated benefits at different claiming ages right away - it's really eye-opening to see the actual numbers rather than trying to guess. One thing I learned from my own research is that the decision isn't just about maximizing monthly income, but also about managing longevity risk. If you're in good health and have family history of longevity, waiting for higher benefits (either your own with delayed credits or optimizing for survivor benefits) becomes more valuable. But if you have health concerns, claiming earlier might make more sense. Also, regarding the frustration with reaching SSA by phone - I've had better luck calling right when they open at 7 AM local time, or trying their automated services first to get basic information before needing to speak with someone. The wait times are usually shorter early in the morning. Your situation sounds very similar to what my sister went through last year, and she ended up being glad she took the time to really understand all her options before making the decision. The peace of mind that comes from knowing you made an informed choice is worth the effort of working through all these calculations.

I've been lurking in this community for a while but had to jump in on this thread because I'm dealing with a very similar situation! My husband is 68 and planning to wait until 70, and I'm 64 trying to figure out my best strategy. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - especially learning that spousal benefits are based on the FRA amount, not the age 70 amount. That's disappointing but at least now I know what to expect. One thing I'd add that I learned from meeting with a financial planner last month is to also consider your Medicare decisions in this timing. If you're not working and don't have other health insurance, you might need to enroll in Medicare at 65 even if you're not claiming Social Security yet. The timing of these decisions can get pretty complex when you're trying to optimize everything together. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences - it's so much more helpful than trying to decipher the SSA website alone! This community is a goldmine of practical information.

I'm new to this community but have been following this discussion with great interest as I'm in a somewhat similar situation. My husband is 66 and we're debating whether he should claim at his FRA next year or wait until 70. What's been most eye-opening to me from reading all your experiences is how the spousal vs. survivor benefit rules are so different. It seems like the system really penalizes spouses during the lifetime but then provides better protection for survivors. As several of you mentioned, this makes the decision much more about long-term financial security than just maximizing current income. I'm curious - for those of you who have been through this decision process, did any of you factor in inflation and cost of living increases when doing your calculations? I keep wondering if the guaranteed 8% delayed retirement credits will keep pace with rising costs, especially healthcare costs as we age. Also, has anyone here had experience with the "restricted application" or "file and suspend" strategies? I know most of those options were phased out, but I'm trying to understand if there are any remaining optimization strategies we might be missing. Thanks to everyone who has shared their real-world experiences - this thread has been more helpful than hours of trying to navigate the SSA website!

Thank you all for this incredibly thorough discussion! As someone new to this community, I'm amazed by how much practical knowledge has been shared here. Reading through everyone's real experiences has clarified so many misconceptions I had about Social Security planning. The key takeaway for me is that spousal benefits are definitively based on the worker's FRA amount (Primary Insurance Amount), not their age 70 enhanced benefit - this seems to be consistently confirmed by multiple people who have actually been through this process. That's disappointing from a planning perspective, but at least it removes the uncertainty. What I find most valuable is how this discussion has evolved beyond just the spousal benefit question to cover the broader strategic considerations: survivor benefits (which DO include delayed retirement credits), Medicare timing, the value of financial independence through claiming your own benefits, and the importance of comparing total lifetime benefits rather than just monthly amounts. For anyone else reading this thread, I'd especially recommend the suggestions about: 1. Getting your actual Social Security statement online at ssa.gov/myaccount 2. Creating a spreadsheet to compare different claiming scenarios 3. Considering longevity and health factors in your decision 4. Looking into local Social Security workshops for personalized guidance 5. Factoring in the "insurance" value of maximizing survivor benefits This community is such a valuable resource - thank you everyone for sharing your knowledge and experiences so generously!