I’m planning on filing for ex spouse SS benefits. My question is can I take mine at 67 full retirement age and switch to his at his full retirement age which is 18 months after mine. Another words he’s 18 months younger than I am so I can’t file for his until he reaches full retirement age?

Hi. No. People born after January 1 1954 are not allowed to apply for spousal, divorced spousal, or their own Social Security retirement benefits without being deemed to have applied for all of those benefits. So, the only way that you could claim your own benefits without claiming your divorced spousal benefits at the same time is if you aren't yet eligible for divorced spousal benefits when you apply for your own benefits. And, as long as both you and your ex-husband are at least age 62 and if your divorce has been final for at least 2 years, then you'd be potentially eligible for divorced spousal benefits as long as your ex-spouse's primary insurance amount (PIA) is more than twice as much as your own PIA.

Furthermore, you can't start drawing your own benefits first and then switch to another type of benefit later. Once you claim your own benefits, if you also qualify for another type of benefit you'd be paid your own benefit plus a partial, or excess, auxiliary (e.g. spousal, divorced spousal) or survivor benefit.

Even if you were allowed to do what you suggest in your question, though, it wouldn't be a wise strategy. If you're eligible for divorced spousal benefits and if you file for them at your full retirement age (FRA) or later then your divorced spousal rate wouldn't be reduced for age even if your ex-husband hasn't yet reached FRA. In other words, you would gain nothing by waiting past your FRA to claim any divorced spousal benefits for which you qualify, even if your ex-husband is younger than you are.

You may want to strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully analyze the options available to you in order to determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry