I began collecting my reduced Social Security retirement benefit at 62. A few months later, at his FRA, my husband began receiving a spousal benefit on my record.
Now, he is nearly 70, has retired, and decided to file for his own Social Security benefit beginning in January of 2018. At that time, I will be of FRA, and will file for my excess spousal benefit, if any.

Today we visited our Social Security office to apply. We took a number and waited our turn, but when called we were told we couldn't apply today because they are
"short-staffed." The agent insisted we should apply online. When we insisted that we wish to apply in person, we were told to go home and come back another time. We were given an appointment choice: November 28 to apply in-person application, or November 6 for a telephone application.

My question is, can this transaction (switching from spousal to his own benefit, and me applying for an excess spousal benefit) be handled that way, or must it be in person, as I have read in a number of places? Also, can a January start date (with payment in February) be obtained with such short notice? The agent insisted it was no problem at all, that only people signing up for Medicare needed that lead time. I am very disappointed with our office; every visit I have made there I have been told to go home and file online or call, which is unsatisfactory--there is usually a 2 hour or so wait on hold, and the agent often says they cannot help us, we must visit the office after all. When we do that, we get the run-around again.

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear of your experiences dealing with Social Security. Funding for the agency is determined by Congress, so you might want to share your experiences with your Congress person.

Unless Social Security has very recently upgraded their online services, you and your husband wouldn't be able to use the online filing process for your claims. Social Security's website still says that you can't file online if you currently receive benefits.

In my opinion it doesn't matter whether you file in person or by phone, and filing your claims either on November 6th or 28th should give Social Security plenty of time to process your claims timely. And as long as you have an appointment, you shouldn't have to wait long regardless of which filing method you choose.

Before filing, you and your husband may want to strongly consider using the maximization software available on this website in order to make sure that you choose the best possible overall filing strategy.

Best, Jerry