My 86 year old mother elected to collect social security at age 62. My fathers social security check is significantly larger than hers so I suggested she look into claiming 50% spousal benefit based on his check amount. She said social security told her when she elected to receive her own benefit at age 62 she eliminated the option to collect a spousal benefit. Is this correct?

Hi,

What your mother was apparently told by Social Security isn't exactly accurate, but that doesn't necessarily mean that she would be eligible for spousal benefits. A person can still potentially qualify for spousal benefits even if they started drawing their own benefits at age 62, but only if their primary insurance amount (PIA) is less than half as much their spouse's PIA. A person's PIA is equal to their Social Security retirement benefit rate if they start drawing their benefits at full retirement age (FRA).

For example, say Amy filed for her benefits at age 62. Amy's primary insurance amount (PIA), or full retirement age rate is $1000, but Amy's benefit amount was reduced for age to $750. The only way that Amy could subsequently qualify for spousal benefits is if her husband's PIA is more than $2000, or more than twice as much as Amy's PIA.

I would need to know the amount of your mother's and father's PIAs in order to tell you whether or not your mother could qualify for spousal benefits. She should be able to get that information from Social Security, or she could insist on filing a claim for spousal benefits in order to get a formal determination of her eligibility.

Best, Jerry