Dear Larry,

My DOB is 12-22-53 and my PIA is $2771. My wife's DOB is -7-06-59 and her PIA is $2148. In 2021, our strategy is to have her claim a reduced social security benefit at age 62 (~$1530), and I will claim a spousal benefit ($1074). Upon my reaching 70, I will then claim my increased social security benefit of ~$3658. Are my numbers and thinking correct to you?

Thx and Regards, Joe

Hi Joe,

Yes, assuming that your wife's primary insurance amount (PIA), which is the amount of her Social Security retirement benefit rate if she files at full retirement age (FRA), is $2148, then your potential spousal rate would be half of that amount or $1074. The only downside of your strategy is that your wife will then be stuck with a reduced benefit rate for as long as both of you are living. However, if you and your wife feel that the upside of you being able to draw spousal benefits for 2+ years before turning age 70 outweighs that downside then it sounds like the plan you describe would work out like you have in mind.

Before deciding, though, you and your wife may want to strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to make sure that your benefit rates are accurate and to fully explore all of your various options so that you can choose the filing strategy that would be the most likely to maximize your benefits in the long run.

Best, Jerry