When can spouse apply for Social Security spousal benefit top-up after my approval?

Congrats on getting approved! Your wife can apply for spousal benefits right away since your claim is approved. She doesn't have to wait until you actually start receiving payments in January. The SSA can process everything now and set it up to begin when yours does. I'd recommend she call and make an appointment to apply in person. That's what my wife did last year - much easier to make sure everything is done correctly. The spousal benefit calculation can get confusing, especially with the "deemed filing" rules that apply nowadays. Better to have someone walk her through it face-to-face.

thats not exactly right, sorry. she CAN apply now, but her benefit won't actually start until your benefit starts in jan. and they'll probably tell her to wait until closer to jan anyway. my husband's SS started in july and they made me wait until may to apply for my spousal even tho his was approved months b4. something about their processing timeframes.

I went through this EXACT situation last year! The way it works is this: 1) Yes, your wife CAN apply now even though your benefits haven't started paying yet 2) Her spousal benefit will be automatically set to begin when yours does in January 3) They'll calculate her own retirement benefit + the spousal top-up to equal 50% of your PIA BUT - and this is important - she needs to decide whether to take her benefits early. At 64, she'll get a reduced amount (about 41.7% of your PIA instead of the full 50% she'd get at her full retirement age). Once she takes reduced benefits, that reduction is permanent. As for HOW to apply - I'd recommend calling first. The online application doesn't handle spousal benefits well, especially the "top-up" situation. When I tried last year, it was a nightmare of confusion.

DONT DO ONLINE!!!! I tried doing the spousal benefit online and it was a disaster. the system couldn't figure out what i was asking for and kept giving me errors. wasted weeks trying to fix it.

Have you tried calling SSA?? Good luck with that! I spent 3 weeks trying to get through about my spousal benefits. Either busy signals or 3+ hour waits and then got disconnected. So frustrating!! The system is broken. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) after someone here recommended it. They got me connected to a real SSA agent in about 20 minutes. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent I spoke with said spousal applications SHOULD be done by phone or in person rather than online, especially for the "top-up" situation. They scheduled an appointment for me to apply and it was so much easier than fighting with the website.

Im confused about something - if your benefit is $3200 and your wifes is $850, her spousal top up would be $750 (half of your $3200 = $1600, minus her $850 = $750). But that's assuming she waits until her Full Retirement Age! If she files at 64, both her own benefit AND the spousal amount get reduced. She'll get less than the full $1600 total. Make sure you understand this before deciding when she should file. As for applying - definitely do it by phone or in person. The online application doesn't handle the top-up situation well. I learned that the hard way!

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! Based on all your advice, we're going to have my wife call SSA to set up an appointment. From what you're all saying, it sounds like she can technically apply now, but it might be easier to wait until a bit closer to January. Regarding the reduction for claiming early - we've calculated that and are okay with it. Even with the reduction, the extra income will help us more now than waiting for the full amount later. One last question - does anyone know if they'll need my information during her application process? Should I plan to be there with her for the appointment?

Great question about the timing! I went through this with my husband's benefits last year. Your wife can definitely apply now - the SSA agent told me they actually prefer to have spousal applications submitted at least 2-3 months before the benefits are supposed to start. This gives them time to process everything and catch any potential issues. When I applied for my spousal benefits, they had me bring: - Marriage certificate (certified copy) - My husband's SSN and claim number - My own birth certificate and ID - Last year's tax return The appointment took about 45 minutes and the agent was really thorough in explaining how the "deemed filing" rules work. Since your wife is under her FRA, she'll be required to file for both her own benefit AND the spousal benefit at the same time - she can't choose to delay one or the other. One tip: when she calls for the appointment, specifically mention it's for a "spousal benefit application" - they'll know to schedule extra time and have the right forms ready.