I will be 67 in February 2020. My husband will be 70 in May 2021. He did not file and suspend in 2016. My SS benefits at 70 will be less than half of my husbands full benefit. After reading your book, I believe should take Spousal benefits when he files for SS benefits at 70. My question is: Can I file for my SS benefits in February of this year and switch to Spousal benefits when my husband applies for benefits at 70? Will I be stuck receiving my lower benefit for the rest of my life and denied spousal benefits later?

Hi,

You couldn't actually switch to drawing just a spousal benefit after you've filed for your own benefits, but you could file for your own benefits now and then file for additional spousal benefits when your husband applies for his Social Security retirement benefits. Since you'd be filing for your benefits after reaching full retirement age (FRA), if your future spousal rate is higher than your own benefit rate you would still end up receiving a full 50% of your husband's primary insurance amount (PIA).

For example, say Jan files for her benefits at FRA. Jan's PIA is $500, which is what she'd be paid since she would be starting her benefits at FRA. If Jan's husband subsequently files for his benefits and his PIA is more than twice as much as Jan's PIA, Jan could be paid an additional spousal rate equal to 50% of her husband's PIA minus her own PIA. Thus, Jan could still get a total benefit rate equal to a full half of her husband's PIA regardless of the fact that she started her own benefits prior to becoming eligible for spousal benefits. However, if Jan had started to draw her own Social Security retirement benefits prior to FRA then she would be stuck with the resulting reduction in her benefit rate even if she later qualifies for additional spousal benefits.

You should probably use our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to be positive, but from your description it sounds like you should file for your own Social Security benefits as soon as possible. You would also almost certainly want to claim your benefits retroactively for the maximum of 6 months prior to your month of application. Your husband could then file a restricted application for spousal benefits only, and draw those benefits until he files for his own benefits at age 70. And, at the point he switches to his own benefits you could file for additional spousal benefits on his account.

Best, Jerry