In September my husband will begin taking SS at 62. He will draw 1895 per month. I am 60 years old. According to my SS report, I will only draw about 700 a month at 65.
If I draw at 62, may I draw against his retirement?
If so, will I receive 1/3 or 1/2 of his SS?
If I draw mine at 63, may I change and draw against his when I turn 65 (which will be more $).

Hi,

No matter when you file for either your own benefits or for spousal benefits, you'll be deemed to be filing for both benefits. If your spousal rate is higher than your own benefit rate and if your husband is drawing his benefits when you file, you'll end up receiving your own benefit rate plus an excess spousal rate. And, the earlier you apply prior to full retirement age (FRA), the lower your monthly rate will be.

For example, say Amy files for benefits at age 62. Amy's own full retirement age rate, or primary insurance amount (PIA), would be $800, but since Amy is starting at age 62 her rate is reduced for age to $563. Amy's husband is drawing his benefits and his PIA is $2200. Amy's unreduced excess spousal rate would be calculated by subtracting her PIA from 50% of her husband's PIA, which in this example is $300 (i.e. $2200/2 -$800). However, since Amy filed at age 62 her excess spousal rate is reduced to $196. That amount would then be paid in addition to Amy's own reduced rate of $563, giving her a combined rate of $759.

Before deciding when to apply for benefits, you and your husband should strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to analyze all of your various options so that you can determine the best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry