Social Security spousal benefits: Will waiting until 70 increase my combined benefit above 50% of husband's PIA?

You've got it right. If your own benefit at FRA is $1240 and your husband's PIA is $3750, you'd receive your own $1240 plus $635 in spousal benefits to reach the maximum spousal benefit of $1875 (half of his PIA).If you delay until 70, your own benefit increases to $1540, but your total benefit will still be capped at $1875. The spousal portion would just decrease to $335. There's no advantage to waiting beyond FRA in your situation since spousal benefits don't earn delayed retirement credits.The only scenario where waiting would help is if your own benefit at 70 would exceed 50% of your husband's PIA - which isn't the case with your numbers.

Thank you so much for explaining! So basically, since my benefit will never exceed half of his (even with delayed credits), I should just file at my FRA. That makes the decision much easier.

theres actually one thing u should check - did u work at least 10 years? u need 40 credits (usually 10 yrs of work) to qualify for ur own benefit at all. if u dont have enough credits then ud just get the spousal half and thats it

Yes, I do have my 40 credits! I worked full-time before kids, then part-time on and off during the child-raising years. My earnings weren't high, but I did manage to get enough quarters. Thanks for mentioning that important detail though!

I went through EXACTLY the same confusion last year!!! I spent hours on the phone with SSA trying to understand this. The rep confirmed what the first person said - there's NO BENEFIT to waiting past your FRA if you're going to receive spousal benefits AND your own benefit with delayed credits would still be less than 50% of your husband's PIA.I finally just took mine at FRA (66+2mo for me) because the math worked out better. But let me tell you, getting through to someone at Social Security who could explain this clearly was a NIGHTMARE. I spent THREE DAYS trying to get through on the phone!!!

I had the same frustrating experience trying to reach SSA last month. After being disconnected four times and spending hours on hold, I found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an agent in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Completely solved my callback issues and the agent I spoke with was able to explain my specific benefit calculation questions. Might be worth checking out if you need to speak with SSA again about your benefits.

Thanks for sharing your experience! It helps to know I'm not the only one confused by all this. And thanks for the suggestion about Claimyr - I'll check that out if I need to call them. I've tried a few times and never got through.

quick question - does your husband plan to delay till 70? because if HE delays till 70, his benefit would go up to like $4650 and then YOUR spousal would be based on that higher amount

That's actually incorrect. Spousal benefits are always based on the worker's PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), which is their benefit amount at full retirement age. Delayed retirement credits earned by the worker don't increase the spousal benefit. The maximum spousal benefit is always 50% of the worker's PIA, regardless of when the worker claims.

oh shoot, really? I thought the spouse got half of whatever the worker gets. I guess I misunderstood how it works. thx for clarifying

I had the same misunderstanding initially! My husband is actually planning to wait until 70 to maximize his benefit. Good to understand that his delayed credits won't affect my spousal amount.

JUST BE CAREFUL WITH THE TIMING!!! If your husband hasn't filed yet, you CAN'T get spousal benefits until he files! My wife got caught by this - she filed at her FRA expecting to get spousal, but I hadn't filed yet, so she ONLY got her own smaller benefit for 8 months until I finally filed. We lost thousands because nobody warned us about this!!!

Oh wow, that's really important to know! My husband is 65 now and planning to wait until 70 to file. So does that mean I should wait to file for my own benefits until he files at 70? Or can I file for my own at 67 and then the spousal portion would kick in once he files?

You can file for your own benefits at your FRA, and then when your husband files later, you'll automatically be eligible for the spousal add-on if it's higher. You don't lose anything by filing for your own first. The system will automatically give you the higher amount once he files.

There's one other factor to consider in your decision-making: survivor benefits. While waiting until 70 won't increase your combined benefit during both your lifetimes, if your husband predeceases you, you would be eligible for a survivor benefit equal to 100% of what he was receiving (including his delayed retirement credits).If your husband delays until 70 and receives $4,650 (124% of his PIA), then after his death, you would receive that full $4,650 as a survivor benefit (assuming you're at or past your FRA). This is significantly higher than your combined retirement/spousal benefit of $1,875.This is why many financial planners recommend that the higher-earning spouse delay benefits until 70, especially if they have longevity in their family history. It maximizes the survivor benefit for the remaining spouse.

Thank you for bringing up this important point about survivor benefits! That confirms our strategy - my husband is planning to wait until 70 to maximize his benefit, which would protect me if he passes away first. His parents both lived into their 90s, but of course we never know what might happen. I really appreciate you explaining how this works with the actual numbers!

One more thing to think about - TAXES! If you have other income (like a pension or 401k withdrawals), receiving both your benefits at the same time might push you into a higher tax bracket. Just something to consider in your planning.

good point about taxes! up to 85% of SS can be taxable if your combined income is high enough

Thank you everyone for all these helpful responses! I've learned so much. Based on what I'm hearing, it makes the most sense for me to claim at my FRA since delaying won't increase my total benefit beyond the 50% spousal benefit cap. And it's good to know that my husband delaying until 70 will increase the survivor benefit I'd receive if he passes away first.I appreciate all of you taking the time to explain this to me with actual numbers!