I was just was approved for my retirement benefits and am past my full retirement age. If my wife files for spousel benefits, she will be eligible for half of my benefit. She reaches her full retirement age next year and her benefit will be more than half of mine. Will she be able to get her higher benefit or is she locked in to the spousel benefits?
Hi. If your wife doesn't reach full retirement age (FRA) until next year, then what you're proposing isn't a valid option for her. Since your wife was apparently born after January 1 1954, she can't apply for spousal benefits without also being required to apply for her own benefits at the same time. And, if her own primary insurance amount (PIA) is more than 50% of the amount of your PIA, then she won't be eligible for spousal benefits no matter when she applies for benefits. A person's PIA is equal to their Social Security retirement benefit rate if they start drawing their benefits at FRA.
Only people who were born prior to January 2 1954 are allowed to apply for spousal benefits while letting their own benefit rate grow, and even they can only do so if they wait at least until their FRA to claim spousal benefits (https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/claiming.html). Otherwise, a claim for spousal benefits is effectively also a claim for the person's own Social Security retirement benefits. And, if a person applies for benefits prior to their FRA, their benefit rate is reduced for age.
If your wife was, in fact, born prior to January 2 1954, then she could file for spousal benefits now and switch to her own higher benefit at a later date. However, assuming that your wife was born after January 1 1954 and if her own PIA is more than 50% of your PIA, then her only real option is deciding when to apply for her own benefits. You and your wife should strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully analyze all of your options so that you can determine the best overall strategy for maximizing your benefits.
Best, Jerry
