My husband is 66 and receiving full retirement benefits. I am 62, and both he and I are still working. Can I receive 1/2 of my husbands social security now (letting my own benefit grow) and then switch to mine at the age of 66 and 4months? Or, if doing this, I am stuck with a reduced benefit amount at full retirement, would it still make sense to do this? As of now, it shows early retirement for me at about $750 a month (full retirement at about $1000), and 1/2 of my husband's amount would be $650. My income is low, and I'm not sure that it will change much in the next few years.
Thank you!

Hi,

No, you couldn't receive spousal benefits now and switch to your own record in the future. In fact, since you were born after January 1 1954 you will be deemed to file for both retirement benefits on your own record and spousal benefits whenever you file for either one (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/deemedfaq.html). And, you can only be paid essentially the higher of those 2 benefit rates and your rate will be reduced for age if you start drawing prior to your full retirement age.

Since it sounds like your retirement benefit rate is higher than your potential spousal rate, it's unlikely that you'll ever qualify for spousal benefits at least as long as your husband is living. When to start drawing your retirement benefits is a personal choice and there is no absolute best option. Before deciding when to file, you should strongly consider using our maximization software to compare all of your options so that you can make an educated decision on which strategy you feel would be best for you personally.

Best, Jerry