Hi,

I am 67 years old (born in Feb 1955) waiting for my husband’s spousal benefits. We are debating whether to wait for 5 months for an increase of $100/mo in his benefits or waiting one and a half years for an increase of $300/mo.

I want to claim my retirement benefits immediately, before my spouse files for retirement benefits and I am deemed. My retirement payment will be less than $200/mo.

Can I file for retroactive retirement benefits or will taking retroactive benefits have a negative effect on my future benefits?

Can I file for retirement benefits now in September or would there be a better date?

Thank You

Hi. If your eventual spousal benefit rate will be significantly higher than your own Social Security retirement benefit rate then taking your own benefits retroactively won't hurt your eventual benefit rate. Spousal benefits are calculated by subtracting the higher of your primary insurance amount (PIA) or your monthly benefit rate from 50% of your spouse's PIA. A person's PIA is equal to their retirement benefit rate if they start drawing their benefits at full retirement age (FRA).

Therefore, if 50% of your husband's PIA is significantly more than your PIA, then there would be no downside to starting your own benefits as soon as possible. Since you're more than 6 months past your FRA, you can claim your own benefits retroactively for 6 months prior to the month in which you apply.

It sounds like you and your husband should strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully analyze all of your various options so that you can make sure to choose your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry