Will I mess up my husband's Social Security if I file at 62 while he waits until 67?
Just turned 62 last month and I'm really considering filing for my SS benefits now. My retirement savings isn't great, and an extra $1,800/month would honestly help a lot with our bills. My husband is 64 and he's planning to wait until his full retirement age of 67 to maximize his benefits (his will be around $2,900/month). I'm worried that if I file early, it might somehow mess up his filing strategy or reduce what he'll get. Does my decision to take benefits at 62 affect his benefits at all? Also, if he dies before me someday, would I get his higher benefit amount even though I took mine early? This is all so confusing and every time I try calling the SSA I just get disconnected after holding forever. Any advice would be so appreciated!
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Aidan Hudson
You should check about spousal benefits!!! My sister filed early and then her husband filed for his retirement and she found out she could have gotten MORE if she'd waited. I think u only get like 35% of his benefit if u file early instead of 50%??? Not sure tho. The SSA people never explain this stuff clearly!!!!
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Zoe Wang
•That's not quite right. Your own retirement decision doesn't affect your husband's benefit amount at all. He'll still get his full benefit at 67 regardless of when you file. What your sister might be referring to is the spousal benefit. If your spousal benefit (up to 50% of your husband's FRA amount) would be higher than your own retirement benefit, you could receive that higher amount. But filing early for your own retirement does permanently reduce any spousal benefits you might be eligible for later. As for survivor benefits, yes - if your husband passes away, you would be eligible for 100% of what he was receiving, even if you filed early for your own benefits.
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Connor Richards
I did something similar, took mine at 62 while my wife waited. Worked out fine for us. Good luck!
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Lucy Lam
Thanks for the responses so far. I'm still a bit confused about the spousal benefits. So if I take my $1,800 now at 62, then when my husband files at 67, would I automatically get bumped up to something higher? Or did I permanently mess that up by filing early?
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Grace Durand
•When your husband files at 67, the SSA will automatically check if you qualify for an additional spousal benefit on top of your reduced retirement benefit. Since you filed at 62, your spousal benefit would be permanently reduced to about 32.5% of your husband's PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) instead of the full 50%. However, you would only receive a spousal add-on if that reduced spousal amount is MORE than your own reduced benefit. Based on the numbers you shared, let's calculate: - Your husband's benefit at FRA: $2,900 - 32.5% of that (reduced spousal): $942.50 - Your own benefit at 62: $1,800 Since your own benefit ($1,800) is higher than the reduced spousal amount ($942.50), you wouldn't receive any additional spousal benefit when he files. But this isn't necessarily a problem - you're still getting the higher amount between the two options.
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Steven Adams
The SSA makes this stuff intentionally complicated! It took me 8 tries to get someone on the phone who could actually explain my options clearly. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in under 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold all day. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I finally spoke with someone knowledgeable, they confirmed exactly what the previous commenter said - your filing early has no impact on your husband's benefits. And you're right about survivor benefits - you would get his higher amount if he passes before you, regardless of when you filed for your own.
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Lucy Lam
•Thank you for that tip! I'll check out that service. I've literally spent hours trying to get someone on the phone. And thanks for confirming about the survivor benefits - that was one of my biggest concerns.
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Alice Fleming
my wife and i both took ours at 62 and regret it. taxes are killing us now with Medicare costs too. just something to think bout
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Hassan Khoury
The WHOLE SYSTEM is designed to PUNISH us for taking OUR MONEY early!! They reduce benefits by 30% for claiming at 62 instead of waiting till 67, but most people don't even LIVE long enough to break even on the waiting game. Take it when you need it and don't feel bad about it. The government just wants to hold onto your money as long as possible!!!!!
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Zoe Wang
•While I understand the frustration, the reduction is actually an actuarial adjustment, not a punishment. Statistically, whether you claim early or late, the total lifetime benefits are designed to be roughly equal for someone with average life expectancy. If you need the money now, claiming early can absolutely be the right decision. But for many people, especially women who tend to live longer and those with family histories of longevity, waiting can result in significantly more lifetime benefits.
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Grace Durand
One important factor not mentioned yet - if you're still working while collecting benefits before your FRA, be aware of the earnings limit. For 2025, if you earn more than $22,680, SSA will withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above that limit. This continues until the year you reach your FRA, when the limit increases substantially. This doesn't apply to your husband since he's waiting until his FRA, but it could significantly impact your benefit if you're still employed. The good news is that once you reach your FRA, they recalculate your benefit to give credit for months when benefits were withheld.
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Lucy Lam
•Oh! I didn't know about this! I work part-time and will make about $17,000 this year, so I guess I'm under that limit. But that's really good to know in case I pick up more hours. Thank you!
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Connor Richards
My wifes cousin took hers at 62 also and her husband waited til 70!! They said it was the best of both worlds - some money now and bigger checks later. Seems like a smart plan to me
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Lucy Lam
Thanks everyone for the great advice! I think I'm going to go ahead and file now at 62 since we could use the extra income, and it sounds like it won't hurt my husband's benefits when he files at 67. I'm especially relieved about the survivor benefits situation. I'll definitely check out that Claimyr service to get through to SSA - I have a few more questions I'd like to ask them directly.
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Zoe Wang
•That sounds like a reasonable plan! Just make one final check about your earnings situation to make sure you won't hit that earnings limit, and you should be good to go. Best of luck with your filing!
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