My wife turns 66 this July 4th and she wants to freeze her benefits until she reaches 70 and collect half of my benefits. What happens if I die before she reaches 70

Hi,

First off, your wife doesn't need to 'freeze' her own benefits. She simply wants to not file on her own record until age 70, and instead file a restricted application for spousal benefits only at age 66. She may want to run the maximization software available on this website in order to make sure that this is her optimal strategy.

If you die while your wife is receiving spousal benefits, she will be converted to widow's benefits at a higher benefit rate. She can then still file on her own record at age 70 if her own rate is higher than her widow's rate.

Best, Jerry