Because I worked for and retired from the state, I did not ever contribute enough quarters to Social Security to qualify for my own entitlement. My husband, however, has worked and paid into Social Security since he was 15 (he is now 64, almost 65). He does not intend to file for Social Security until age 70. I am aware of the GPO/WEA, which will severely reduce any benefit I would receive from his record (because of my pension) but it would not eliminate it. Here is my question: can I file for the spousal benefit now, when I am 64 (soon to be 65), when it would only be a few hundred dollars, and then switch to the widow's benefit later, should he die before me? The latter would be a significantly larger benefit, I think. I cannot find any information about switching from the spousal benefit to the widow's benefit. Does filing for the former disqualify me for the latter? (We were both born in 1953, if that matters.)
thanks for any direction you may be able to offer!

Hi,

You can't qualify for spousal benefits until your husband starts drawing his benefits. If you start out drawing spousal benefits and then your husband dies, your spousal benefits will automatically convert to widow's benefits at the higher survivor rate. Before any government pension offset, your unreduced spousal rate would be equal to 50% of your husband's full retirement age rate (PIA), and your widow's rate would be equal to his full benefit rate including the delayed retirement credits he will earn by waiting until age 70 to file.

You and your husband may want to use the maximization software available on this website to explore your filing options.

Best, Jerry