I am 66. My husband is 76. I was poor advised to start collecting my own social security at age 62. Now I have been told that I could collect one-half of my husband's social security payment if it is larger than mine without affecting his payment. Is this true? Can I do anything about it at this point?

Hi,

You can apply for an excess spousal benefit, but I'm guessing that you won't qualify for any additional benefits. If you were eligible for an excess spousal benefit, you would have been deemed to have filed for it when you applied on your own record at age 62. Therefore, it's most likely that you are either already getting an excess spousal benefit, or you don't qualify.

In order for you to be eligible for an excess spousal benefit, one half of your husband's full retirement age benefit amount (PIA) would have to exceed your own PIA. Your PIA is the monthly amount that you would have received on your own account if you had waited until age 66 to file, without taking a reduction. As a result, even if the reduced benefit that you currently receive is less than one-half of what your husband is receiving, you may still not be eligible for an excess spousal benefit.

Still, you may want to check with Social Security to see if you might be eligible. Sometimes people do become eligible for an excess spousal benefit after they file for reduced retirement benefits. This can occur if their spouse files for benefits after they themselves filed, or if their spouse continued to work and pay into Social Security after filing.

Best, Jerry