I am 62, my wife is 66 and filed for benefits on her record at age 62. Can I collect spousal benefits on her record (at reduced rate)
while waiting to turn 66 myself, thus avoiding a 25% decrease in my benefits by collecting early. Does this strategy, if available, have
any impact on me applying for benefits later.

Thank you.

Jerry,
If you file for your spouse's benefit before your full retirement age (FRA) of 66, then you will be deemed by law to have also filed for your retirement benefit at that time. Your benefit will be the larger of your retirement or spouse's benefit and it will be reduced because you would be taking it early. So, yes, filing for your spouse's benefit before your FRA does prevent you from taking your retirement benefit later. A better filing strategy may be to take your spouse's benefit at your FRA and delay your retirement benefit until age 70. However, the best strategy depends on the exact relationship between your retirement benefit and your spouse's benefit. Our software, MaximizeMySocialSecurity, can determine your very best filing strategy.

Thanks,
Mike