My husband has applied for SSDI, he is 62, born in 1955. I am 66, born in 1952. He is the higher earner by 20K dollars. I have filed for my full age social security. for June 2018 Can he apply for spousal benefit while waiting on a decision on his SSDI, he has already been denied at the first step, he has appealed with a attorney. He is also 100% disabled vet. Thank you for your help and for helping others in this very complicated system.

Hi,

Probably not. If your husband filed for spousal benefits he would also have to apply for his own retirement benefits, and assuming that his own full retirement age rate (PIA) is more than half of yours he wouldn't be eligible for spousal benefits. And, if he files for his retirement benefits before full retirement age his benefit rate will be reduced for age.

On the other hand, if your husband does get disability benefits (SSDI) or if he files for reduced retirement benefits, you would have the option of filing just for spousal benefits on his record while letting your own benefit rate grow until age 70. However, you would have to withdraw the application that you filed for your own retirement benefits in order to be able to do that. Whether or not that would be advantageous in your case depends on your and your husband's relative benefit rates as well as your personal preferences. You and your husband should strongly consider using our maximization software to explore and compare all of your filing options in order to determine your best overall strategy.

Best, Jerry