I will be turning FRA on 12/1/17. My husband turns FRA on 3/3/18. He plans to file 4 months prior, in NOV , for his benefit, so that his first payment would be received in April. I want to file a restricted application for a spousal benefit and then wait until 70 yrs of age to file on my own work record, so that my benefit can grow. At that point, my benefit would be approximately $ 300 more per month than 1/2 of his. Can I file on the same day my husband files, or is there any reason I should wait a period of time to file? Do I also declare March of 2018 as when I want my benefits to begin? Or do I have to wait to file for spousal benefits until he actually is receiving his monthly benefit? Thank you for your time.

Hi,

Yes, if you decide to go with the strategy outlined in your question you could file for spousal benefits on the same day that your husband files for his benefits, and you would want to choose the same month of entitlement as he does. You can't be eligible for spousal benefits until your husband becomes entitled, so you couldn't choose an earlier month of entitlement than him.

However, it sounds like you and your husband may want to consider a alternate strategy. You could file on your own record effective either November 2017 or March 2018, and your husband could then file just for spousal benefits effective with March 2018. That way, he could let his benefit rate grow until age 70 at which time he would switch to his own record. You could also potentially file for an excess spousal benefit on his record at that time if it's higher than your own benefit rate. Since his benefit rate is apparently higher than yours, that strategy would also provide you with a 32% higher widow's benefit rate in the event your husband dies before you.

To explore your options and determine the best overall filing strategy in your case, you should strongly consider using the maximization software available on this website.

Best, Jerry