When should lower-earning spouse claim Social Security - age 62 or wait until FRA?

This is a common planning situation and there's no one-size-fits-all answer. Here are some considerations: - If your husband claims at 62, he'll get about 30% less than his FRA benefit permanently. - If he waits until FRA, he gets 100% of his benefit amount. - When one spouse dies, the survivor gets the higher of the two benefit amounts. Since you're the higher earner and waiting until your FRA or 70, the survivor benefit is likely based on your record regardless of when your husband claims. Many financial planners suggest the lower-earning spouse claim early (62) if you need the income, especially if the higher earner is delaying to 70. This creates some income while maximizing the eventual survivor benefit.

i was in EXACTLY your situation (i made more, husband made less). we decided to have him take SS at 62 and it was a BIG MISTAKE!!!! nobody told us about the earnings test - he wanted to keep working part time and they took back almost all of his benefit because he was making too much!!! had to pay some back too. SO FRUSTRATING!!! make sure your husband isnt planning to work AT ALL if he claims before FRA!!!

For married couples with a significant earnings gap, I typically see the lower earner claiming early and the higher earner delaying as long as possible. This is especially true when there's a reasonable expectation the higher earner's benefit will become the survivor benefit eventually. Here's a simplified calculation: If your husband's FRA benefit would be ~$1,500/month: - At 62: ~$1,050/month (permanently reduced) - At FRA (67): $1,500/month The total difference from age 62-67 is about $27,000 in benefits he'd collect by starting early versus waiting. It would take ~15 years at FRA to break even on this amount (the difference between $1,050 and $1,500 monthly). Since the higher earner's benefit will become the survivor benefit, many advisors see this as a reasonable approach - getting some money flowing while maximizing the eventual survivor benefit by having you delay.

NOOO dont have him claim early!!! The SSA wants you to think thats a good idea but its a TRAP!!! When you claim early they STEAL your money for the rest of your life!! Its all a scam to save the govt money because they know most people cant wait!!!

Has anyone managed to actually speak with a SSA agent about this? I've been trying to get specific advice for my situation (similar to yours) but keep getting disconnected or waiting for hours.

i think u also need to look at taxes!!!!! when we started taking ss while still having some work income our taxes went way up because of something called "provisional income" - they tax ur ss benefits if ur over certain limits. another thing nobody warned us about!!!!

Another important consideration: If your husband claims early at 62, and you're still working, he cannot claim spousal benefits on your record until you file for your own benefits. This is something many couples overlook. If he claims at 62 on his own record, and later becomes eligible for spousal benefits when you file (which could provide up to 50% of your FRA benefit if that's higher than his own benefit), his spousal amount will still be reduced because he claimed early. The reduction is permanent.

My wife and I were in a similar position. Here's what we did: she claimed at 62 (lower earner), I waited until 70 (higher earner). This gave us some income while maximizing the eventual survivor benefit. In our case, after running the numbers, we found we'd be ahead unless we both lived past 83. Given family health history, this was the right call for us. Everyone's situation is different though.

She was fully retired. If your husband plans to work at all while collecting before FRA, definitely look into the earnings test. For 2025, if you earn over $22,320 and are under FRA, SSA withholds $1 for every $2 earned above that limit. Once you reach FRA, there's no earnings test.

Sounds like you have a good plan forming. Just to summarize the key points from this discussion: 1. Lower-earning spouse claiming early makes mathematical sense when the higher earner delays (especially since the higher benefit will become the survivor benefit) 2. Be aware of the earnings test if your husband plans to work while collecting before FRA 3. Consider potential tax implications of having Social Security income while you're still working 4. Remember that when you file, your husband might qualify for a spousal benefit if it's higher than his own, but it would be reduced if he claimed his own benefit early I recommend creating a spreadsheet to compare your total household benefits under different scenarios through age 85-90. This often helps couples visualize the long-term impact of different claiming strategies.

As someone who went through this exact decision with my spouse last year, I'd add one more consideration that helped us: look at your state's tax treatment of Social Security benefits. Some states don't tax SS benefits at all, while others do. This can impact the math when you're comparing scenarios. Also, don't forget about Medicare timing. Your husband will be eligible for Medicare at 65 regardless of when he claims SS, but if he's planning to retire fully at 62, you'll need bridge health insurance for those 3 years. That cost should factor into your overall retirement budget and might influence the timing decision. We ended up having my spouse (lower earner) claim at 62 and it's worked well for us. The extra income has allowed us to delay touching our retirement savings, which continue growing while we wait for my higher benefit to kick in at 70.

One strategy that might be worth exploring is called "claim and invest." If your husband claims at 62 and you don't immediately need that income for living expenses, you could invest those monthly payments in a conservative portfolio. Even at a modest 4-5% return, this could help offset some of the reduction from claiming early. For example, if his reduced benefit is $1,050/month starting at 62, that's $12,600/year invested for 5 years before you reach your FRA. By the time you're both in your 70s, that invested amount plus growth could be substantial. This approach works particularly well when the higher earner is delaying to 70, because you're essentially "banking" the lower earner's benefits while maximizing the survivor benefit. Just make sure you're comfortable with the investment risk and have other sources for your immediate living expenses. Also consider doing a "what if" analysis: what happens to your plan if one of you develops health issues that prevent you from working until your planned retirement dates? Sometimes having one spouse's benefits starting earlier provides valuable flexibility.

There's another angle worth considering that I haven't seen mentioned yet: the impact of inflation on your decision. Social Security benefits receive annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), but the percentage increase applies to whatever base amount you're receiving. If your husband claims the reduced benefit at 62, future COLAs will be applied to that lower amount. However, given that you're the higher earner and planning to delay until 70, the survivor benefit will eventually be based on your maximized amount anyway - so this may not matter long-term for your household. But here's something that might: if you're both in good health and expect to live well into your 80s or 90s, you might want to model out scenarios that account for potential changes in Social Security policy. While current benefits are protected, there's ongoing discussion about raising the full retirement age or adjusting the formula for future retirees. Having at least one spouse locked into the current system at 62 provides some protection against potential future changes. I'd also suggest checking if either of you has any government pension that might trigger the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) or Government Pension Offset (GPO) - these can significantly impact Social Security benefits and change the optimal claiming strategy.

One thing I'd add to this great discussion is to consider your respective life expectancies and health histories when making this decision. While the math often favors having the lower earner claim early, if your husband has significantly better health/longevity prospects than average, waiting might make more sense. Also, don't overlook the psychological aspect. Some couples find real peace of mind having that guaranteed income stream starting at 62, even if it's reduced. Financial stress can impact health and relationships, so sometimes the "optimal" mathematical decision isn't the best overall choice for a particular couple. One last tip: consider timing your husband's application strategically within his birth month to maximize the first payment. SSA pays benefits the month after they're due, and you can't receive benefits for any month before you apply, even if you're already eligible. Small details like this can add up over time. Your plan sounds solid - having the lower earner start early while the higher earner delays is a tried-and-true strategy for couples with significant income gaps. Just make sure you're both comfortable with the decision and have contingency plans if circumstances change.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a federal employee nearing retirement and facing a similar decision with my spouse. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned is the importance of understanding how Social Security benefits are calculated - they're based on your highest 35 years of earnings, indexed for inflation. If your husband has fewer than 35 years of substantial earnings, SSA will use zeros for those missing years, which significantly reduces his benefit calculation. This makes the "claim early" strategy even more compelling for the lower-earning spouse, since waiting longer won't dramatically increase a benefit that's already limited by work history gaps. Also, for anyone considering this strategy, I recommend getting your Social Security statements updated and reviewing them carefully for any errors. I found a missing year of earnings on mine that would have cost me thousands in benefits. You can create an account at ssa.gov to access your statement and report any discrepancies. The complexity of this decision really highlights why so many people benefit from working with a fee-only financial advisor who specializes in Social Security planning. The one-time cost is often worth it when you consider we're talking about decisions that could impact hundreds of thousands of dollars over your lifetime.

As someone who just went through this decision process with my spouse last year, I wanted to share our experience since it mirrors yours so closely. My husband (lower earner, mostly part-time work) claimed at 62 while I'm waiting until 70 to maximize my benefit. Here's what we learned that wasn't immediately obvious: 1. **The breakeven analysis is key** - We calculated that he'd need to live past age 78 for waiting until FRA to be financially better than claiming early. Given that I'm likely to be the survivor and will get my higher benefit anyway, this made claiming early the clear choice. 2. **Cash flow matters** - Having his reduced benefit starting at 62 allowed us to preserve our retirement savings for longer and reduced the pressure on me to claim early. We're essentially using his early SS to "buy" me time to delay until 70. 3. **Consider your backup plans** - What if you become unable to work before 70? Having one spouse already collecting provides crucial income security. The math worked out to about $300,000+ in lifetime benefits by having him claim early while I wait until 70, compared to both of us waiting until FRA. Every situation is different, but for couples with significant earning gaps, this strategy often makes the most sense. One tip: have him apply 3 months before he wants benefits to start to avoid any processing delays. The peace of mind has been worth it for us!

As a newcomer to Social Security planning, this thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm in a very similar situation - I'm 59 and the higher earner in our household, while my spouse has worked part-time for most of our marriage. Reading through everyone's experiences and analysis has really helped me understand that this decision involves so many more factors than I initially realized. What strikes me most is how the "conventional wisdom" of waiting until FRA doesn't necessarily apply when there's a significant income gap between spouses. The breakeven analysis that Emma shared is particularly eye-opening - the idea that the lower earner only needs to live past 78 for early claiming to make sense, combined with the fact that the higher earner's benefit will likely become the survivor benefit anyway. I'm also grateful for the warnings about the earnings test and the practical tips about timing applications. It's clear that successful Social Security planning requires looking at the whole financial picture - taxes, Medicare timing, state tax treatment, and even psychological factors like peace of mind. For those of us just starting this journey, does anyone have recommendations for specific resources or tools that helped you model different scenarios? The SSA calculators seem limited for these more complex spousal strategies. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences so generously!

As someone who's been helping people navigate Social Security decisions for years, I want to emphasize one crucial point that sometimes gets overlooked in these discussions: the importance of getting personalized projections directly from SSA before making your final decision. While the general strategy of having the lower earner claim early makes sense for many couples with income gaps, your specific benefit amounts matter enormously. I'd recommend both of you create accounts on ssa.gov and request detailed benefit estimates for different claiming ages. Here's why this matters: If your husband's work history has more substantial earnings years than you initially thought, or if there are factors like delayed retirement credits that could significantly boost his benefit, the math might change. Also, spousal benefits can sometimes be higher than expected, especially when the primary earner has maximized their benefit. A few additional considerations for your situation: - Document your decision-making process and reasoning - it helps if you need to revisit the strategy later - Consider how this fits with your overall retirement income plan (401k withdrawals, pensions, etc.) - Factor in your state's tax treatment of retirement income, not just Social Security The strategy you're leaning toward (him at 62, you delaying to 70) is solid for most couples in your situation. Just make sure you're working with accurate benefit projections rather than estimates. The peace of mind of having concrete numbers is worth the extra effort to get official SSA projections.