Will my wife's reduced early benefits affect her future spousal Social Security amount?

yes it'll be reduced. if u take benefits early they stay reduced forever, doesn't matter if its her own or spousal.

Thanks for responding. So even though the spousal benefit wouldn't start until I file at my FRA, the fact that she took her own benefit early means her spousal will be reduced too? That seems unfair but I guess that's how it works?

This is a great question that confuses a lot of people. Your wife's eventual spousal benefit WILL be reduced if she takes her own benefit early. The reduction is based on the number of months before her FRA when she first takes ANY benefit.Here's what happens: When you file at your FRA, your wife becomes eligible for spousal benefits. At that point, SSA will pay her own reduced retirement benefit PLUS the difference between that amount and the reduced spousal rate (the spousal rate being reduced because she filed for her own benefit early).For example, if her full spousal benefit would be $1,500 but it's reduced to $1,300 because she filed 15 months early, and her own reduced benefit is $800, she would receive her $800 plus an additional $500 (the difference between $1,300 and $800).

what if wife waits til her FRA but husband took his early? does that still reduce her spousal?

When ur wife files for her benefit early, she gets hit with reduction factors. Around 0.5% per month for each month before her FRA. So 15 months early means about 7.5% permanent cut.When you file at FRA and she becomes eligible for spousal, she'll get the larger of:1) Her own reduced benefit2) The reduced spousal amountThe problem is lots of people think they can take their own early and then \

Thank you for this explanation. I think we misunderstood how it works. I thought she could take her smaller benefit now and then later get the full 50% spousal when I file. Sounds like we need to reconsider our strategy.

I went through this same situation with my wife. Yes, filing early for her own benefits will permanently reduce her spousal benefits too. The SSA applies what they call a \

Have you guys tried using Claimyr? I was in the same boat - couldn't get through to SSA for weeks about my husband's spousal benefits. I used claimyr.com and got through to a live agent in 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puUThey actually called SSA for me and then connected me once they had an agent on the line. Saved me so much frustration and I finally got a straight answer about our benefits.

I work with retirees, and this is one of the most misunderstood aspects of Social Security benefits. To be completely accurate:1. If your wife files for her own benefits 15 months before her FRA, they will be reduced by approximately 8.33% (5/9 of 1% per month for the first 36 months before FRA).2. When you file at your FRA, her spousal benefit will ALSO be reduced by the same early filing factor based on when she first took benefits.3. The actual calculation is complicated: She'll receive her own reduced benefit, plus the difference between that amount and her reduced spousal benefit (if her reduced spousal benefit is higher).This is why coordinating benefit timing between spouses is so important. Sometimes it makes financial sense to wait, especially if longevity is likely.

Thank you so much for this detailed explanation. I think we need to do some calculations to see if it makes sense for her to wait until her FRA. Her own benefit would be about $1,200 at FRA vs. around $2,200 for the spousal benefit (half of my $4,400). So waiting 15 months might be worth it.

My frend at church told me the wife can take hers early and then switch to the full spousal later but that's not right????? It's ALL reduced???? The SS people never explain this clearly when u call them!!!!

That used to be a viable strategy (called \

Just to add 1 more thing - all this is different if ur talking about SURVIVOR benefits. If your wife outlives you, she CAN get her full survivor benefit even if she took her retirement early. The reduced amount for taking benefits early ONLY affects retirement and spousal, not survivor. Just FYI for future planning.

That's good to know about survivor benefits. I do have some health issues so there's a decent chance she'll outlive me by many years. At least those benefits wouldn't be reduced if she takes her own retirement early. That's something to factor into our decision.

To answer the question that someone asked above - if the WIFE waits until her FRA but the HUSBAND took benefits early, the wife's spousal benefit is based on the husband's PRIMARY INSURANCE AMOUNT (what he would have gotten at FRA), NOT his reduced amount. So the husband taking benefits early doesn't reduce the wife's spousal. It's only if the person claiming spousal takes any benefit early that their spousal gets reduced.

ohhh that makes sense, thx! so basically its jus whoever takes early gets hit with reduction, doesn't affect other person

Based on all your helpful replies, I think we'll have my wife wait until her FRA to file for benefits. The permanent reduction to her spousal benefit doesn't seem worth the 15 months of smaller payments she'd receive now. Thank you all for explaining this so clearly - the SSA website really doesn't make these interactions between benefits obvious at all.One last question - we're both still working part-time. Will the earnings limit affect her spousal benefits when I file next year? She'll be at her FRA by then but I've heard there are complications with working while receiving benefits.

Good choice to wait! Regarding the earnings test - once your wife reaches her FRA, there is NO earnings limit that would affect her benefits. She can earn any amount without reduction.However, before reaching FRA, in 2025 she would be subject to the earnings limit (approximately $22,560 for 2025 based on current projections), and would lose $1 in benefits for every $2 earned above that limit.Since you mentioned she'll be at her FRA when you file next year, she's in the clear - no earnings test will apply to her at that point.

Perfect, thank you! That's exactly what I needed to know. It's so helpful to have clear explanations from people who understand these complex rules.