When should married couples claim Social Security? Best resources for spousal benefit strategies
Looking for advice on where to start researching the best claiming strategies for married couples. My husband is 63 and I'm 59, so we're getting closer to making decisions about Social Security. I've heard there are lots of different options for when spouses should file to maximize benefits, but it seems overwhelming. Should I start with SSA's official videos? Are there good blogs or calculators that explain this stuff in plain English? I'm especially confused about whether one of us should file early while the other waits. Anyone found resources that really clarified this stuff?
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Aisha Khan
The SSA website has basic info, but it doesn't really explain optimization strategies. I recommend checking out 'Open Social Security' calculator (free online tool) that runs the numbers for spousal claiming strategies. For books, 'Get What's Yours' by Kotlikoff is excellent though slightly outdated since the 2015 rule changes. Also look at Maximize My Social Security software if you don't mind paying a bit - it shows year-by-year comparisons of different filing strategies.
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Mateo Hernandez
•Thank you! I'll definitely check out that calculator. Have you used the Maximize My Social Security software yourself? Worth the cost?
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Ethan Taylor
I spent HOURS trying to get through to Social Security to ask about spousal benefits and kept getting disconnected!!! Then I found Claimyr.com and they got me connected to an actual SSA agent in 20 minutes instead of wasting days trying. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU and it saved me so much frustration. The agent I talked to explained all the spousal benefit options clearly. Sometimes talking to a real person is better than trying to figure it out from websites.
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Yuki Ito
•do they just make an appointment for u or do they actually get u to talk to someone right away? i tried calling ssa like 5 times last month and gave up
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Ethan Taylor
•They get you on the phone with someone right away! That's the whole point - they navigate the phone system and wait on hold so you don't have to. Then they call you once they have an agent on the line. Saved me literally hours of frustration.
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Carmen Lopez
My wife and I just went through this exact process! It's definitely complicated, but we found some really helpful YouTube videos from a channel called Social Security Solutions. They explain the spousal strategies clearly with examples.
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Mateo Hernandez
•Thanks for the specific recommendation! I'll look up that channel. Did you end up deciding on a specific strategy for you and your wife?
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Carmen Lopez
•We did! Since I was the higher earner, I'm waiting until 70 to maximize my benefit (which also maximizes the survivor benefit), and my wife is taking hers at her FRA. But everyone's situation is different - depends on age gap, earnings history, health, etc.
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AstroAdventurer
The Social Security Administration website is USELESS for this!!! I tried understanding their explanations and just got more confused. They make everything so complicated ON PURPOSE so people just give up and take benefits early, which saves them money. Don't trust ANYTHING from the official site - they're just trying to pay you less!!!!
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Andre Dupont
•While the SSA site could certainly be more user-friendly, they're not deliberately trying to confuse people. The system is complex because it has to account for thousands of different situations. Local SSA offices often provide better explanations than the website. You can schedule an appointment for a benefit calculation and explanation of your specific options.
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Yuki Ito
dont overthink it, just both take it at fra thats what everyone does
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Aisha Khan
•That's actually not optimal for most couples. If there's a significant difference in earnings history, it often makes sense for the higher earner to delay until 70 (especially if they're the older spouse) to maximize the survivor benefit. Each month of delay adds ~0.7% to your benefit amount permanently.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
I was so confused about this too. My husband is 6 years older than me so we had to figure out what to do. We met with a financial advisor who specializes in retirement planning and it was worth every penny. She ran all the different scenarios for us with actual numbers. It turns out for our specific situation, him filing at 68 and me waiting until my FRA made the most sense because of our different earnings histories. But without running the actual numbers for your specific situation, it's just general advice.
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Mateo Hernandez
•A financial advisor is a great idea. Did you find someone who specifically specializes in Social Security, or was it a general retirement planner?
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•We used a general retirement planner but made sure beforehand that they had experience with Social Security planning. Asked for references from other clients who'd worked with them specifically on SS claiming strategies. Well worth doing some research to find the right person.
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Andre Dupont
I'd recommend starting with understanding the basics of how spousal benefits work. The most important things to know are: 1) A spouse can receive up to 50% of the other spouse's full retirement age benefit if they claim at their own full retirement age, 2) The spouse must have filed for their own benefits before spousal benefits can be paid, 3) If you qualify for your own benefit and a spousal benefit, you'll receive the higher of the two amounts, not both, and 4) Spousal benefits don't grow after full retirement age (unlike your own retirement benefit). Once you understand these fundamentals, resources like the Open Social Security calculator mentioned above can help with optimization.
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Mateo Hernandez
•Thank you for laying out those basics so clearly! I didn't realize spousal benefits don't grow after FRA - that's really important to know. Is there a certain order that's generally best for spouses to file in?
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Andre Dupont
•Generally, if there's a significant difference in earnings history, the higher earner should consider delaying until age 70 (especially if they're the older spouse) while the lower earner might claim earlier. This maximizes the survivor benefit, which is particularly important if the higher earner has a shorter life expectancy. But the optimal strategy really depends on your specific circumstances.
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Yuki Ito
my cousin works for ssa she says most ppl mess up paperwork when they apply and it delays benefits for months
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Mateo Hernandez
•That's good to know. Did she mention what the most common mistakes are so we can avoid them?
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