Will my wife's spousal Social Security benefits be reduced if she claims her own benefits at 62?

The reduction to your wife's spousal benefit will be based on WHEN SHE BEGAN receiving benefits, not when you claim. Since she'll be claiming at 62 (5 years before her FRA), her own benefit will be permanently reduced by about 30%. When you claim at 65, she'll become eligible for spousal benefits, but those spousal benefits will ALSO be reduced based on her early claiming age (62). She won't get the full 50% of your PIA minus her PIA. Instead, it will be reduced based on her early claiming age. The calculation gets complicated, but essentially: 1. Her own reduced benefit (claimed at 62) will be about 70% of her PIA 2. Her spousal add-on will be reduced because she claimed at 62 3. The total combined benefit will be less than if she had waited until her FRA Hope that helps explain the reduction!

My wif and I did this exact thing last year. She took her benefits early at 62 and I waited till 65. Big mistake! The reduction was huge and now she's stuck with it forever. Consider waiting til at least 65 for her too.

The spousal benefit reduction is based on a complex formula, but here's the approximate calculation: When your wife claims at 62, her own benefit will be reduced to about 70% of her PIA ($1,250 × 0.7 = $875). For the spousal benefit, she's eligible for up to 50% of your PIA. That's $2,900 × 0.5 = $1,450. But since she's claiming the spousal portion 5 years early (at 62 instead of 67), that maximum spousal amount will be reduced by approximately 30% as well. However, she doesn't receive both benefits added together. Instead, she'll receive her own reduced benefit plus the difference between that and her reduced spousal benefit (if the spousal is higher). Getting precise numbers would require the exact reduction factors from SSA, but this gives you the general idea of how the reduction works.

Has anyone actually called SSA to discuss this scenario? I tried 4 times this month and couldn't get through! Been on hold for hours and they keep disconnecting me. So frustrating!!!

I dunno why everyone makes this so complicated. Just claim whenever you need the money! My husband and I both claimed at 62 and we're doing fine. We got to enjoy the money while we're still young enough to travel.

You might want to run some numbers on what happens if you both wait until FRA or even 70. My financial advisor showed me that my wife and I would get almost $100,000 more in lifetime benefits if I waited until 70 and she claimed at her FRA. The survivor benefit aspect is really important to consider too - whoever lives longer will inherit the higher benefit amount.

This is a complex topic, but I think I can help clarify this for you. When your wife claims her own benefits at 62, they will be permanently reduced by approximately 30% from her PIA ($1,250). When you later claim at 65, she becomes eligible for spousal benefits. At that point, SSA will calculate: 1. Her PIA ($1,250) 2. 50% of your PIA ($2,900 ÷ 2 = $1,450) 3. The difference between them ($1,450 - $1,250 = $200) However, because she claimed at 62, this $200 difference will be reduced based on the spousal benefit reduction factor for claiming 60 months early (approximately 35% reduction). So her spousal add-on would be roughly $130 after reduction. Her total benefit would be her reduced own benefit (approximately $875) plus the reduced spousal add-on (approximately $130), totaling about $1,005. This is significantly less than the $1,450 she would receive if she had waited until her FRA to claim any benefits. The early claiming penalty affects both portions of her benefit.

As someone who just went through this decision process last year, I wanted to share my perspective. My husband and I had almost identical numbers to yours - he was the higher earner with a PIA around $2,800, and mine was about $1,200. We ultimately decided that I would wait until my FRA to claim any benefits, even though it meant living on one income for those extra years. Here's why: when we ran the numbers, claiming at 62 would have cost us about $300-400 per month for the rest of my life compared to waiting until 67. The math that @Mia Alvarez laid out is spot on - the early claiming penalty really hits both parts of the benefit hard. In our case, waiting those extra 5 years meant my total monthly benefit would be about $1,400 instead of around $1,000. I know it's tempting to get the money sooner, but if you can afford to wait and you're both in good health, the financial benefit of waiting is substantial. Plus, as @Logan Greenburg mentioned, the survivor benefit aspect is crucial - whichever of you lives longer will be stuck with the consequences of early claiming decisions. Just my two cents based on our experience! Good luck with your decision.

Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who works in retirement planning. The decision between claiming early versus waiting really depends on your complete financial picture, not just Social Security optimization. A few additional factors to consider beyond what's been discussed: 1. **Break-even analysis**: Calculate how many years it would take for the higher monthly benefits (from waiting) to make up for the years of missed payments. Given your ages and current life expectancy, this is usually around 12-15 years. 2. **Tax implications**: Social Security benefits may be taxable depending on your other income. If you're still working until 65, claiming her benefits at 62 might push you into higher tax brackets. 3. **Medicare timing**: Since you're both turning 62 next year, remember that Medicare doesn't start until 65. Factor in health insurance costs for those gap years. 4. **Inflation protection**: Social Security has cost-of-living adjustments, but the base amount matters. A permanently reduced benefit means smaller COLA increases forever. The math everyone's provided is correct - early claiming does create a significant long-term reduction. But if you need the income for essential expenses or have health concerns, claiming early might still be the right choice. Just make sure you're making an informed decision with all the facts!

I'm in a very similar situation to yours - wife turning 62 next year and we're wrestling with the same decision! After reading all these responses, I'm leaning toward having my wife wait until FRA based on the math everyone's laid out. One thing I don't see mentioned much is the "do-over" rule. If your wife claims at 62 and then changes her mind within the first 12 months, she can withdraw her application, pay back everything she received, and start fresh as if she never claimed. It's only available once in your lifetime, but it could be a safety net if you decide to test the waters with early claiming. Also, have you looked into whether your wife could do "restricted application" strategies? I know the rules changed in 2015, but there might still be some options depending on your exact birth dates and timing. The phone wait times for SSA are absolutely brutal right now - definitely try that Claimyr service someone mentioned or consider visiting a local SSA office if you have one nearby. Sometimes face-to-face meetings are easier to get than phone appointments.

I've been following this discussion closely as my spouse and I are facing a similar decision timeline. What strikes me most is how the early claiming reduction compounds - it's not just a simple percentage off the top, but affects both the personal benefit AND the spousal add-on portion. One strategy worth considering that hasn't been fully explored: what if your wife waits until her FRA (67) to claim anything, while you claim at 65 as planned? Yes, it means 5 years without her Social Security income, but the math might work in your favor long-term. Here's the scenario: When she waits until 67, she'd get her full PIA of $1,250 plus the full spousal difference (50% of your $2,900 = $1,450, minus her $1,250 = $200 additional). So she'd receive about $1,450 total per month versus the roughly $1,005 mentioned earlier with early claiming. That's a difference of about $445 per month, or over $5,300 per year. Even accounting for the 5 years of missed payments (roughly $60,000), the break-even point would be around 11-12 years, which is well within typical life expectancy for someone claiming at 67. The key question is whether you can afford to live without her Social Security income from age 62-67. If the answer is yes, waiting could result in significantly higher lifetime benefits for your household.

Welcome to the community! As someone who recently went through Social Security claiming decisions with my spouse, I wanted to add a perspective that might be helpful. One thing that really helped us was creating a detailed cash flow analysis for different scenarios. We used the SSA's online benefit calculators along with a spreadsheet to model out various claiming strategies over 20+ years. What became clear was that the decision isn't just about maximizing Social Security - it's about optimizing your entire retirement income picture. A few practical considerations based on our experience: **Health insurance costs**: Since you mentioned working until 65, factor in the full cost of health insurance for your wife during any gap years before Medicare kicks in. This can easily run $800-1,200+ monthly and might influence the timing decision. **Earnings test implications**: If your wife claims at 62 but then decides to work part-time, be aware of the Social Security earnings test limits. In 2024, she'd lose $1 in benefits for every $2 earned over $22,320. **State tax considerations**: Depending on your state, Social Security benefits may or may not be taxable at the state level, which could affect your overall tax strategy. The math everyone has shared is spot-on about the reductions. But I'd also suggest running scenarios that account for inflation, potential changes in your work situation, and healthcare costs. Sometimes the "optimal" strategy on paper doesn't align with real-world circumstances. Good luck with your decision - it's complex but you're asking all the right questions!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm really impressed by the depth of analysis everyone has provided here! This thread has been incredibly educational for someone just starting to navigate these decisions. One aspect I haven't seen fully addressed is the psychological factor of claiming decisions. While the math clearly shows that waiting until FRA results in higher lifetime benefits, there's real value in having that financial security earlier, especially given uncertainties about future Social Security solvency or potential benefit cuts. I'm curious if anyone has considered a hybrid approach - perhaps your wife could claim her own reduced benefit at 62 to provide some cash flow, but then you could delay your claiming beyond 65 (maybe until 67 or even 70) to maximize the eventual spousal benefit base? This might provide some early income while still optimizing the long-term survivor benefit picture. Also, given all the complexity discussed here, has anyone used Social Security optimization software like Social Security Solutions or similar tools? The manual calculations are helpful, but I wonder if dedicated software might reveal strategies we haven't considered. @Chris King - your original question has sparked such a valuable discussion. Have you had a chance to speak with SSA directly yet, or are you still weighing all these factors?

As someone new to this community who's been researching Social Security strategies for my own upcoming decisions, this discussion has been absolutely invaluable! The level of detail and real-world experience shared here is remarkable. I wanted to add one consideration that might be relevant to your situation: the impact of future cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). Since COLAs are applied as a percentage of your benefit amount, starting with a permanently reduced base means smaller dollar increases each year. Over a 20+ year retirement, this compounds significantly. For example, if there's a 3% COLA, someone receiving $1,450/month gets a $43.50 increase, while someone with the reduced $1,005/month only gets about $30. That $13.50 difference might seem small, but it grows each year and adds up over decades. I'm also wondering about the timing flexibility you might have. Since you're both turning 62 "next year," depending on your birth months, you might have some room to optimize the timing. For instance, if your wife's birthday is later in the year, she could potentially claim at 62 and a few months rather than exactly at 62, which would reduce the reduction factor slightly. Have you considered consulting with a Social Security Administration office to run through your exact scenarios? Given the complexity everyone has highlighted, getting official projections for your specific situation seems crucial before making this permanent decision.

As a newcomer to this community, I've been following this discussion with great interest since my spouse and I are facing similar decisions in the near future. The depth of analysis and real-world experiences shared here has been incredibly helpful! One thing I'd like to add to this excellent conversation is the importance of considering your "what if" scenarios. While everyone has done a great job breaking down the mathematical optimization, life doesn't always go according to plan. A few scenarios worth modeling: - What if one of you becomes unable to work before your planned retirement dates? - What if there are significant changes to Social Security rules (though major changes typically have grandfather provisions)? - What if you need funds for unexpected healthcare expenses in your early 60s? I've been using a simple spreadsheet to model different scenarios, and what I've found is that while waiting generally provides better lifetime benefits, the "insurance value" of claiming earlier shouldn't be completely dismissed. Sometimes the bird in the hand is worth considering, especially if you have health concerns or uncertain employment situations. @Chris King - have you and your wife discussed your risk tolerance for these types of uncertainties? That might help guide your decision alongside all the excellent mathematical analysis provided here. The "optimal" choice mathematically might not be the optimal choice for your specific situation and peace of mind. Thank you to everyone who has contributed such valuable insights to this discussion!

As a newcomer to this community, I've been reading through this entire discussion with fascination! The level of expertise and real-world experience shared here is remarkable. One angle I haven't seen fully explored is the Medicare coordination aspect. Since you're both planning significant decisions around age 65 when Medicare kicks in, it might be worth considering how your Social Security claiming strategy aligns with healthcare coverage transitions. If your wife claims at 62 while you continue working with employer health insurance, you'll need to navigate the gap coverage for her until Medicare eligibility at 65. But if she waits until closer to 65 to claim any benefits, you might be able to coordinate both the Social Security claiming and Medicare enrollment more seamlessly. Also, I'm curious about the impact of working until 65 on your own benefit calculation. Since Social Security uses your highest 35 years of earnings, those final working years (especially if they're high-earning years) could potentially increase your PIA, which would then improve the spousal benefit calculation for your wife. The mathematical analysis everyone has provided clearly shows the advantages of waiting, but I wonder if there are any optimization opportunities by fine-tuning the exact timing around your work cessation, Medicare enrollment, and benefit claiming dates? This thread has been incredibly educational - thank you to everyone who has shared their insights and experiences!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm amazed by the depth of knowledge and analysis in this thread! This has been incredibly educational for someone just beginning to navigate these complex Social Security decisions. What strikes me most from reading everyone's contributions is how this decision involves so many interconnected factors beyond just the basic early claiming reduction. The compounding effects mentioned by several members - reduced COLAs over time, permanent impact on survivor benefits, tax implications, healthcare coverage gaps, and the timing coordination with Medicare - really highlight why this deserves careful analysis rather than a quick decision. I'm particularly grateful for the members who shared their real-world experiences, both positive and negative outcomes. @Javier Torres's experience of waiting until FRA and seeing the $300-400 monthly difference really puts the math in perspective, while @Zachary Hughes's regret about claiming early provides a valuable cautionary tale. The hybrid strategies suggested by @Diego Fernández and others - like having the lower earner claim early while the higher earner delays until 70 - seem worth exploring as potential middle-ground approaches that balance early income needs with long-term optimization. For anyone else following this thread and facing similar decisions, it seems clear that while the mathematical optimization generally favors waiting, individual circumstances around health, employment, risk tolerance, and cash flow needs are equally important considerations. Thank you to everyone who has shared their expertise - this community is an incredible resource!