Social Security spousal benefits - do I get 50% of husband's FRA amount or his reduced age 62 benefit?

You'll be eligible for 50% of your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) - which is his benefit amount at his full retirement age - regardless of when he claimed. So you should receive around $1,200 as a spousal benefit, not the reduced $925. The fact that he took benefits early only affects HIS payment, not the baseline calculation for your spousal benefit. The key is that YOU are claiming at your FRA, so you get the full spousal benefit without reduction. If your own benefit is higher than the spousal benefit, you'll receive your own instead, as SSA automatically pays the higher amount.

my wife got the reduced amount when she filed for ss based on mine. they said becuz i took early she gets less too. u should double check with ssa direct.

I was JUST dealing with this exact thing!!!! The SSA people kept giving me different answers every time I called. So frustrating! One rep said I'd get 50% of what my husband WOULD have gotten at FRA, but another said I'd only get based on his actual reduced amount. I spent WEEKS trying to get a straight answer. When I finally got my benefits approved two months ago, it WAS based on his full retirement age amount, NOT his reduced benefit. So yes, you'll get 50% of what would have been his FRA benefit. Make SURE you specify you're filing for spousal benefits at YOUR full retirement age when you apply!!!

I've been trying to contact the Social Security office about a similar issue for weeks. Their phone lines are absolutely swamped. One trick that actually worked for me was using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They have a service that basically waits on hold with SSA for you and then calls you when an agent is ready. Saved me literally hours of hold time. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Regarding your specific question, I can confirm what others have said - you'll get 50% of his FRA amount since you're claiming at your own FRA. The reduction only applies if YOU claim early, not if your spouse claimed early.

A lot of wrong info in this thread! It TOTALLY depends on your earnings record too. If your own benefit is higher than the spousal benefit you won't get spousal at all! SSA just gives you whichever is highest. Did you create an account on ssa.gov to see your own benefit estimate?

this whole system is designed to be confusing on purpose lol... my brother claimed on his wife's record and got a completely different amount than they said he would. the ssa reps themselves don't even understand their own rules half the time.

Social Security specialist here. To clarify the rules definitively: 1. When you claim a spousal benefit at your full retirement age (67 for you), you are entitled to 50% of your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is the benefit amount he would receive at his full retirement age. 2. The fact that your husband claimed early at 62 and receives a reduced benefit does NOT affect your spousal benefit calculation. 3. However, if you were to claim spousal benefits before your own FRA, your spousal benefit would be permanently reduced. 4. Also important: you'll only receive the higher of either your own retirement benefit or the spousal benefit, not both. Based on your numbers (your benefit at FRA = $1,050, potential spousal benefit = $1,200), the spousal benefit would be more advantageous. I recommend claiming in the month you reach your FRA to maximize your benefit.

Has anyone dealt with the extra complications if one spouse worked for state government? My friend's husband never paid into Social Security (teacher in Illinois) and it completely changed how her benefits were calculated because of something called WEP or GPO? Just wondering if that applies here too?