Hi,
My husband is full retirement age (DOB 9/17/52) and has not yet begun receiving any Social Security. I will be 62 this December and I do not plan to file for any benefits at that time. Is it possible for my husband to file a restricted application in December and receive benefits as my spouse? Thank you

Hi,

No, you would have to be drawing your Social Security retirement benefits in order for your husband to be able to qualify for spousal benefits. If you file for benefits before your full retirement age and you work and earn more than the Social Security earnings test exempt amount, both your benefits and your husband's spousal benefits could be subject to full or partial withholding depending on how much you earn (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/whileworking.html).

Your likely best overall strategy depends on your and your husband's relative benefit rates among a number or other factors. Our software could sort all of this out for you and allow you to compare your options so that you and your husband can choose the best possible strategy for claiming your benefits.

Best, Jerry