Will my husband's income affect my Social Security at 62 while he's still working? Confused about spousal benefits
I'm planning to retire next year and start collecting my Social Security retirement benefits at 62 (I know, early, but I need to). My husband plans to keep working until his full retirement age. We're both the same age (born in 1963). I'm confused about two things: 1) Since my husband will continue working and making around $115,000 per year, will his income somehow count against my earnings limit? I know if I work while collecting early SS, I'm limited to about $22,320 in 2025 before they start deducting benefits. But what about HIS income? Does that mess up MY benefits? 2) When he finally retires at his full retirement age (67), I understand I might qualify for spousal benefits if 50% of his benefit is more than my own. But since I'll have been collecting early for 5 years at that point, will my spousal top-up amount be reduced because I started my own benefits early? I've been trying to figure this out on the SSA website but keep going around in circles. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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Logan Chiang
Let me clear this up for you: 1) Your husband's earnings won't affect your benefits at all. The earnings test only applies to YOUR earnings if you work while collecting Social Security before your FRA. His income is completely separate for this purpose. 2) Yes, taking your own retirement benefits early will permanently reduce your spousal benefit. When your husband files at his FRA, you'll be eligible for a spousal top-up, but it will be reduced because you started your own benefits early. The spousal benefit will be the greater of: - Your own reduced benefit - The difference between your reduced benefit and roughly 35% of his FRA benefit (not the full 50%) The reduction happens because you took your own benefits early. Had you waited until your FRA, you'd get the full 50% spousal benefit.
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Abigail Spencer
•Thank you so much for explaining! That's a huge relief about my husband's income not affecting my benefits. Do you know approximately how much the reduction would be for the spousal top-up? Like if his FRA benefit is $3,000, would I get around 35% of that minus my own benefit, instead of 50%?
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Isla Fischer
Your husbands income doenst count for your benfits! only yours does! But you should really think about if taking SS at 62 is worth it? You lose a lot of money in the long run...
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Abigail Spencer
•Thanks for confirming about my husband's income. I've definitely thought about waiting, but I have some health issues that make working longer difficult. Plus, we've calculated the break-even point and given my family history, taking it early actually makes sense for my situation. It's different for everyone!
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Miles Hammonds
The other responses are correct, but to add some clarity on your second question: When calculating spousal benefits when you've claimed your own retirement early, SSA essentially gives you the larger of these two amounts: 1. Your own reduced retirement benefit, OR 2. A reduced spouse's benefit The reduction formula is quite complex, but essentially you're permanently reducing your spousal benefit by approximately 30% by claiming 60 months early. So instead of receiving 50% of your husband's PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), you'd receive about 35%. However, you'll only receive the difference between your reduced retirement benefit and the reduced spousal benefit amount IF the spousal amount is higher. Also important to note: when your husband reaches FRA, he needs to actually file for his benefits for you to receive any spousal benefits. If he decides to delay beyond FRA to increase his own benefit, you can't receive the spousal portion until he files.
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Ruby Blake
•Wait...I'm confused about this too. So if I take my benefits at 62, and my husband waits until HIS full retirement age to claim his benefits, I'll STILL have a reduction to my spousal benefits??? That doesn't seem fair. I thought if he waits until HIS FRA, then I'd get the full 50% of his amount!!
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Miles Hammonds
•No, that's a common misunderstanding. Your spousal benefit reduction is based on when YOU claim benefits, not when your husband claims. If you claim ANY Social Security benefits before your FRA, you're locking in a reduced rate for both your retirement AND spousal benefits. It doesn't matter if your husband waits until his FRA or even age 70 - your reduction is based on your claiming age. The only way to get the full 50% spousal benefit is if YOU wait until your FRA to claim any benefits.
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Micah Franklin
I had this exact same situation with me and my husband! I claimed at 62 and he worked till 67. His income didn't affect my benefits at all - only what I earned mattered for the earnings limit. But I was disappointed about the spousal amount later... it was much less than I expected because I claimed early. Just letting you know what to expect!
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Abigail Spencer
•Thank you for sharing your experience! That's exactly my situation. Do you mind if I ask - was the spousal top-up still worth it even with the reduction? I'm trying to figure out if it'll make a significant difference to our monthly income.
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Micah Franklin
•Yes it was still worth it! I get about $320 extra per month from the spousal benefit even with the reduction. Not as much as the $500+ I was hoping for, but still helps with groceries and utilities. Just don't expect the full 50% minus your benefit - that's where I got disappointed.
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Ella Harper
The rules r so confusing!! My sister thought her husbands income would affect her benefits too but it didnt. SSA needs to make this clearer on there website!!!
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PrinceJoe
Has anyone actually CALLED Social Security to get a personalized calculation? I've been trying for weeks to speak with an agent about a similar situation but keep getting disconnected or told the wait time is 2+ hours. Super frustrating when you need answers for retirement planning!
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Micah Franklin
•Try using Claimyr! I was in the same boat - kept getting disconnected or facing ridiculous wait times. A friend told me about this service that helps you get through to a Social Security agent without the wait. I was skeptical but it worked! Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU It was worth it to finally get my questions answered by an actual SSA agent who could see my specific earnings record. They gave me exact dollar amounts instead of percentages and general rules.
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PrinceJoe
•Thanks for the suggestion! I'll check it out. At this point I'm desperate to talk to someone who can look at our actual records and give precise answers.
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Isla Fischer
THIS IS WHY IM WAITING TILL 70 TO CLAIM!!! All these complicated rules and reductions! The system is designed to confuse us and give us less money!!!
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Logan Chiang
•Waiting until 70 makes sense for some people, but not everyone. It's not a conspiracy - the reductions for early claiming are actually based on actuarial calculations to make the total lifetime payout roughly equivalent regardless of when you claim (assuming average life expectancy). For people with health issues or who need the income sooner, claiming early can be the right choice.
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Abigail Spencer
Thank you everyone for all the helpful responses! I feel much better knowing my husband's income won't affect my benefits. I'm a bit disappointed about the spousal benefit reduction, but it makes sense. I'll definitely try to get an exact calculation from SSA about what my top-up might be when my husband reaches FRA. Thanks again!
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