Social Security spousal benefits calculation at 71 after early retirement - what to expect?

I went thru this last year. they look at what your full retirement benefit would have been if u hadnt taken early retirement, then take half of your husbands primary insurance amount and compare the two. you get the higher amount but they dont give you both, just the higher one

The calculation for spousal benefits when you've claimed your own retirement early is a bit complex. Here's how it works: 1. SSA will calculate what your Full Retirement Age (FRA) benefit would have been if you hadn't claimed early 2. They'll calculate your spousal benefit, which is 50% of your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) - that's his benefit amount at his full retirement age, not his current payment 3. If your spousal benefit would be higher than your own retirement benefit, you'll receive your own benefit plus the difference to bring you up to the spousal benefit level Since you claimed at 62, you're receiving approximately 70-75% of your full retirement benefit. The spousal benefit is also reduced if claimed before your FRA, but since you're 67 now and FRA for your birth year was likely 66, you're past that threshold. During your call, ask specifically about your PIA and your husband's PIA - these are the key numbers they'll use for calculations.

They will look at if half of his benift is more then your full benifit. The early retirement dosent matter now because your past full retirement age. Have your marrage certificate ready they always want to see that!

THE SSA IS A JOKE!!! I had THREE appointments about spousal benefits and got THREE different answers! They kept miscalculating my husbands PIA and telling me I wasn't eligible when I WAS! Had to get a supervisor involved and it took 9 MONTHS to resolve. Make sure you take notes during your call and get the rep's name and direct number if possible!!! Don't let them rush you off the phone until you FULLY understand the calculation!!!

good luck getting through on the phone. ive been trying for weeks to talk to someone about my husbands benefits. always busy or disconnected after waiting for an hour.

I'd like to address a couple of misconceptions I'm seeing in some of the responses: 1. When you apply for spousal benefits after your Full Retirement Age (FRA), you're eligible for 50% of your spouse's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). 2. Since you took your own benefits early at 62, you're receiving a permanently reduced benefit amount - approximately 70-75% of what you would have received at your FRA. 3. You don't receive both your retirement benefit AND a full spousal benefit. Instead, you receive the higher of either: a) Your own reduced retirement benefit; OR b) The difference between your own reduced benefit and up to 50% of your spouse's PIA (if that amount is higher) Given that your husband's benefit is nearly triple yours, it's likely you'll qualify for additional spousal benefits. However, the early retirement reduction on your own benefit will impact the total amount. During your call, specifically ask about: - Your PIA (what your benefit would have been at FRA) - Your husband's PIA - The exact spousal benefit calculation in your case Request that they walk through the math with you step by step.

my sister just went thru this 2 months ago. dont let them tell u your not eligible cuz u already collect! thats what they told her first and it was WRONG

I did this in November it was really easy actually. The call lasted 15 minutes they just asked for my husbands ssn and marriage date and added the spousal part to my existing benifits. Money showed up 2 weeks later in my direct deposit.