Will claiming Social Security at 62 reduce my future spousal benefit when husband files at FRA?

Yes, filing early for your own benefits WILL permanently reduce any spousal benefits you might be eligible for later. When you take SS at 62, you're locking in a reduction not just for your own benefit but also for any spousal benefit. When your husband files at his FRA, you would be eligible for a spousal benefit that would be the difference between your reduced benefit and up to 50% of his PIA (Primary Insurance Amount). But here's the key: because you filed early, that 50% maximum gets reduced based on YOUR filing age. So instead of getting the full 50% of his benefit, you'd get a permanently reduced percentage. I faced this exact situation last year. After struggling to get straight answers from SSA on the phone (constantly disconnected after 2+ hour waits), I discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual SSA representative in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The SSA rep confirmed that my early filing at 62 permanently reduced both my own benefit AND my potential spousal benefit years later. This definitely impacts your break-even calculation.

I need to correct some misinformation here. Filing early for your own benefits does NOT reduce your potential spousal benefits dollar-for-dollar. What happens is more complicated: When your husband files at his FRA, SSA will calculate your spousal benefit as up to 50% of his PIA (Primary Insurance Amount). Then they'll compare that amount to your own benefit. You'll receive your own benefit plus any EXCESS of the spousal benefit over your own benefit. The reduction comes into play because you filed early for your own benefits, making your own benefit lower than it could have been. This means the gap between your benefit and 50% of his benefit might be larger, potentially giving you a bigger spousal add-on. For example: - Your reduced benefit at 62: $1,325 - 50% of husband's PIA: $1,800 - Excess spousal benefit: $475 - Total you'd receive: $1,800 If you had waited until your FRA to file: - Your full benefit at FRA: $1,875 - 50% of husband's PIA: $1,800 - Excess spousal benefit: $0 (since your benefit exceeds 50% of his) - Total you'd receive: $1,875 So in some cases, filing early might not hurt you regarding total benefits once spousal benefits kick in. It depends on the specific benefit amounts.

Just wanted to chime in that the WEP you mentioned (Windfall Elimination Provision) only affects the person who earned both a SS-covered benefit AND a non-SS-covered pension. So that would affect your husband's SS benefit, not yours or your spousal benefit. But there's also the GPO (Government Pension Offset) that could reduce spousal benefits if YOU have a non-covered pension. Do either of you have non-SS-covered government jobs??

The MATH YOURE DOING is all wrong!!!!! You cant just add up checks and call it a day. You have to consider INFLATION and INVESTMENT RETURNS!!! Those early filing checks could be invested and grow over 5 years. And what about COLA increases?? Those early checks will get 5 years of COLAs your FRA checks NEVER GET. The SSA doesnt tell you this stuff because they WANT YOU TO WAIT so they dont have to pay out as much money early on!!!!!

You're asking the right questions about how your early filing affects future spousal benefits. Here's what happens: 1. When you file at 62, your own benefit is reduced by approximately 30% from your PIA (what you'd get at FRA). 2. When your husband files at his FRA, you become eligible for spousal benefits. 3. Your total benefit will be the HIGHER of: - Your own reduced benefit from filing early - Up to 50% of your husband's PIA, reduced because you filed early The reduction to the spousal benefit is based on the number of months before YOUR FRA that YOU filed. At 62, your spousal benefit would be reduced to about 32.5% of his PIA instead of 50%. HOWEVER, the actual calculation is: - You get your own reduced benefit - PLUS any amount by which the reduced spousal benefit exceeds your own benefit This is why it's so important to get your specific numbers calculated. If your husband's benefit will be significantly higher than yours, filing early might still make mathematical sense despite the reduction.

my sister went through this exact thing last year. she filed at 62 and her husband waited til 67. when he filed she got an extra $380 on top of her ss check. they told her that was the difference between her reduced benefit and her reduced spousal benefit. hope that helps. everyone's situation is different tho so your numbers wont be the same as hers.

I recommend two things for your situation: 1. Create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov if you haven't already. You can see your exact estimated benefit amounts at different ages. 2. Ask your husband to do the same so you can see his PIA (the amount he'd get at FRA). With these two numbers, you can make better calculations: - Your reduced benefit at 62 (your statement will show this) - 50% of your husband's PIA - The reduction to that 50% based on your early filing age If 50% of his PIA (after reduction) is still higher than your own reduced benefit, then you'd get a nice bump when he files. If your own benefit is higher, then the spousal benefit doesn't help you. Additionally, don't forget to consider: - Survivor benefits (completely different from spousal - as a widow you'd get 100% of his benefit) - Health issues that might affect longevity - Other income sources during the gap years - Your tax situation at different benefit levels

I filed at 62 last year and was in a similar situation with my husband. After several calls to SSA where I either couldn't get through or got conflicting information, I finally just went to my local office in person. Took almost 3 hours of waiting but I got clear answers about my specific situation. If you can't get through on the phone, try going in person with all your documents and questions written down. They can run your actual numbers there.

One important correction to my earlier comment: The reduction for taking spousal benefits early is actually calculated differently than for your own retirement benefits. At age 62, the spousal benefit reduction is actually MORE than the reduction for your own benefit. For retirement benefits, filing at 62 results in approximately a 30% reduction. For spousal benefits, filing at 62 results in approximately a 35% reduction. So if your full spousal benefit would be 50% of your husband's PIA, at age 62 you'd get closer to 32.5% of his PIA. This is why getting precise calculations for your specific situation is so important. The difference could significantly impact your long-term planning.