Social Security spousal benefits reduction question - husband files at 63, wife at FRA?

Your spousal benefit will NOT be reduced just because your husband filed early. As long as YOU wait until your full retirement age to claim the spousal benefit, you'll receive the full 50% of his primary insurance amount (PIA), regardless of when he filed. The reduction that happens when the higher-earning spouse files early ONLY affects their own benefit amount, not the calculation base for spousal benefits. The spousal benefit is always based on the worker's PIA, which is the amount they would receive at their full retirement age. I went through this exact situation with my parents last year - my dad filed at 64, my mom waited until her FRA, and she got the full 50% of his PIA.

I have to respectfully disagree with the previous response. There's a lot of confusion about this topic, so I understand why. The rule is: Your spousal benefit is based on your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is the benefit amount he would receive at his full retirement age. BUT - and this is important - there IS a reduction if the worker (your husband) files early. Per SSA's Program Operations Manual System (POMS), if the number holder (your husband) is entitled to a reduced retirement benefit, the maximum spousal benefit will also be reduced due to the "RIB-LIM" rule (Retirement Insurance Benefit Limitation). I recommend getting an appointment with an SSA claims specialist to discuss your specific situation, as this is one of the more complex parts of spousal benefits.

The RIB-LIM rule (mentioned above) does apply but it's a bit more complicated than either explanation. The maximum family benefit might be limited based on the worker's reduced benefit, but that usually only comes into play when there are multiple beneficiaries on the same record. In your specific case, since it's just you and your husband, the spousal benefit at your FRA would be 50% of his PIA regardless of when he files. This is assuming you haven't earned your own retirement benefit. I'd suggest calling SSA directly, but honestly you might get different answers depending on who you talk to. It took me 4 calls to finally get someone who could explain my situation correctly.

I work with SS benifit planning and can confirm that this is one of the most misunderstood aspects of spousal benifits. The definitive answer is: If you wait until your FRA to file for spousal benefits, you will receive 50% of your husband's PIA (his FRA benefit amount) REGARDLESS of when he filed. The confusion happens because: 1. If YOU file early for spousal benefits, they are reduced 2. If your husband files early, HIS benefit is reduced 3. But his early filing does NOT reduce the BASIS for your spousal benefit Your spousal benefit at FRA will be based on his PIA, not his reduced benefit amount. I've helped dozens of couples through this exact scenario.

Ive been dealing with this EXACT situation. My husband filed at 63 and I just filed for spousal at my FRA last month. Want to know what happened? My benefit WAS reduced slightly even though I waited til FRA! When I asked the SSA rep about it, they mentioned something about a "family maximum benefit" being affected by my husband filing early. So based on my actual experience, there IS some kind of reduction. It wasn't as much as if I'd filed early myself, but it definitely wasn't the full 50% of what his benefit would have been at his FRA. The system is SO confusing!!!!!

Let me clarify since there's a lot of confusion here. The previous commenter who experienced a reduction might be seeing that because of the Family Maximum Benefit (FMB) limitation, which is different from the direct effect of the husband filing early. In simple terms: 1. Spousal benefits at FRA = 50% of worker's PIA 2. Worker filing early does NOT directly reduce this calculation 3. HOWEVER, total benefits paid to a family are subject to the FMB So while technically the calculation starts with 50% of PIA, other factors might reduce the actual payment. That's why getting an appointment with SSA to review your specific situation is important.

I tried calling Social Security about something similar last month and was on hold for over 3 HOURS before I gave up. Then tried again the next day and waited 2 hours before getting disconnected! The phone system is completely broken. I ended up using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in about 15 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU showing how it works. Saved me hours of frustration and the agent I spoke with was actually knowledgeable about these complex rules. For what it's worth, the agent told me that at FRA, spousal benefits are 50% of the worker's PIA regardless of when they filed, but there are exceptions based on family maximum rules that might apply in some cases.

To clarify the technical aspects once and for all: The RIB-LIM rule (found in section RS 00615.020 of the SSA's Program Operations Manual System) states that when the worker files for reduced retirement benefits, the maximum amount payable to the spouse is limited to the higher of: 1. The difference between the family maximum benefit (FMB) and the worker's reduced benefit, or 2. The spouse's benefit before the RIB-LIM is applied This means that in SOME cases, the worker filing early can indirectly reduce what the spouse receives, even if the spouse waits until FRA. It depends on the specific benefit amounts and family maximum calculation for your case. So both sides of this debate are partially correct, which is why it's so confusing!

Thank you everyone for the informative responses! I think I understand now why there's so much confusion online about this topic - because the answer isn't simply yes or no, but depends on how various rules interact with our specific numbers. I'll definitely try to get an appointment with an SSA claims specialist who can look at our exact situation. If the phone lines continue to be impossible, I might try that Claimyr service someone mentioned. I'll update this thread once I get a definitive answer for our situation in case it helps others in the same boat. Really appreciate all the knowledge shared here!