I am 68, and my wife is 67. We have both qualified for SS benefits, but have not started receiving them yet. We missed the file-and-suspend deadline by one month because my wife reached FRA on May 31, 2016 (a month after the deadline). Could we, however, file a restricted application to begin receiving interim benefits as we await full benefits when we each turn 70?

Hi,

In order to be eligible for spousal benefits, your spouse must be receiving their own benefits. So, one of you could file for retirement benefits now in order to permit the other of you to file a restricted application for spousal benefits only. Obviously, though, that would mean that the spouse who files for retirement benefits now would lose the delayed retirement credits (DRC) that they would have earned by waiting until age 70.

To find out if this would be a good strategy in your case, and which of you should file for retirement benefits now if it is, you should strongly consider running the maximization software available on this website.

Best, Jerry