When can my wife claim spousal benefits vs. her own SS benefits? Confused about timing and reductions

Your wife can't receive both her own benefit AND a spousal benefit simultaneously - she'll get whichever is higher. If her own benefit at FRA would be $1,500 and her spousal benefit would be $1,800, SSA will pay her own $1,500 plus $300 as the "spousal top-up" (for total of $1,800). The "top off" you've heard about refers to this difference between her own benefit and the spousal amount she's entitled to. And yes, if you claim before your FRA, it permanently reduces the spousal benefit she can receive, even if she waits until her own FRA to claim. The maximum spousal benefit is 50% of your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), but only if you wait until your FRA to file AND she waits until her FRA to file for spousal.

My husband claimed at 62 and I waited til my FRA to claim spouse benefits. BIG MISTAKE!!!! The spousal amount is still reduced because HE claimed early!!! They only gave me 37.5% of his benefit instead of the full 50% I thought I would get. So frustraing dealing with these complicated rules!! I wish someone had explained this better to us before he filed.

There's a bit of confusion here I want to clear up. When we talk about spousal benefits, there are actually two separate calculations happening: 1. Your wife's own retirement benefit (based on her work history) 2. The spousal benefit (up to 50% of your PIA) If she claims at 62, her own benefit is reduced by about 30% from what it would be at her FRA. The spousal benefit is ALSO reduced if she claims before her FRA, regardless of when you claim. However, your filing date DOES matter because she cannot receive spousal benefits until you file for your own benefits. And if you file early, the maximum spousal benefit is based on your PIA (not your reduced benefit), but her early filing reduction will still apply to that amount. So multiple reductions can happen: - Your wife's own benefit is reduced if she files early - Her spousal benefit is reduced if she files for it before her FRA But she doesn't get both - she gets the higher of the two reduced amounts.

my sister got caught in this trap!!! she couldnt get spousal til her husband filed but he wanted 2 wait til 70 for max $$$. so she had to take her smaller benefit at 65 and then switch later when he finally filed. so complicated!!

I spent hours on the phone with SSA trying to get answers about this exact situation. If you need to talk to a real person at Social Security without the endless hold times, try using Claimyr. It got me through to an agent in under 20 minutes when I was figuring out my spousal benefits situation. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - saved me hours of frustration when I was trying to understand all these complicated rules.

Here's a concrete example that might help clarify things: Let's say your PIA (what you'd get at your FRA) is $3,000/month, and your wife's PIA is $1,400/month. Scenario 1: Both of you claim at your respective FRAs - You get: $3,000/month - Your wife gets: $1,500/month (Her $1,400 + $100 spousal top-up) Scenario 2: You claim at 62 (30% reduction), she claims at her FRA - You get: $2,100/month (reduced by 30%) - Your wife gets: $1,500/month (Her $1,400 + $100 spousal top-up) Your early filing doesn't reduce her spousal benefit calculation, which is still based on your full PIA of $3,000. Scenario 3: You claim at FRA, she claims at 62 (30% reduction) - You get: $3,000/month - Your wife's own benefit: $980/month (reduced by 30%) - Her spousal benefit: $1,050/month (50% of your PIA reduced by 30% for her early filing) - She gets: $1,050/month (the higher amount) Scenario 4: Both claim at 62 - You get: $2,100/month - Her own benefit: $980/month - Her spousal benefit: $1,050/month - She gets: $1,050/month The key is: She always gets the higher of her own benefit or the spousal benefit, never both combined.

One other important point: Your wife cannot apply for spousal benefits until you've filed for your own benefits. So if you're planning to delay your benefits until 70 to maximize them, she can't receive any spousal benefits during that delay period. Many couples use a strategy where: 1. The lower-earning spouse claims their own benefit earlier (maybe at 62 or FRA) 2. The higher-earning spouse delays until 70 for maximum benefit (which also maximizes potential survivor benefits) 3. Once the higher earner files at 70, the lower earner can then receive spousal benefits if they're higher than their own Remember that survivor benefits are different - if you pass away, your wife would receive your actual benefit amount (including any delayed retirement credits), which is why many financial advisors recommend the higher earner delay as long as possible.

Thank you all for these detailed explanations! It makes much more sense now. It seems like our best strategy might be for my wife to claim her own benefit at 62 or 65, while I delay until close to 70 to maximize my benefit (which ultimately protects her with a higher survivor benefit if I pass away first). Then when I file, she can get the spousal top-up if it's higher than her reduced benefit. Are there any calculators you'd recommend to run these different scenarios with our actual estimated benefit amounts? The SSA website calculators confuse me.

dont forget about the EARNINGS LIMIT!!! if either of u work while collecting SS before FRA they take back $1 for every $2 u earn over the limit (around $22k i think). my hubby got surprised by this and they took back half his benefits last year!!! 😠

my financial guy told me the best thing is usually for the lower earner to claim at 62 and higher earner wait till 70. that way u get some money flowing in early but also maximize the survivor benefit for later. worked good for us!

As someone new to understanding Social Security benefits, this conversation has been incredibly enlightening! I'm 58 and my husband is 61, so we're starting to think seriously about these decisions. One thing I'm still unclear on - if my husband files for his benefits at 62 but I wait until my FRA to claim spousal benefits, will I get the full 50% of his PIA even though he filed early? From Diego's examples, it looks like the answer is yes, but I want to make sure I understand correctly. Also, does anyone know if there are any recent changes to these rules? I feel like every time I think I understand Social Security, someone mentions that the rules changed a few years ago!