My husband started taking benefits at 62 and has a small benefit. I plan to start taking benefits in January of 2023 and my benefit will be almost double. How does his benefit impact mine and vice versa? Should he switch to a spousal benefit and how?

Hi. Your husband can't switch from collecting his own benefits to collecting spousal benefits instead. What he could do is apply for spousal benefits when you apply for your benefits, but he'll only qualify for spousal benefits in addition to his own benefits if his primary insurance amount (PIA) is less than half as much as your PIA. A person's PIA is equal to their Social Security retirement benefit rate if they start drawing their benefits at full retirement age (FRA).

So, in other words, unless either your or your husband's unreduced FRA rate is more than twice as much as the other spouse's unreduced FRA rate, then for as long as both of you are living you'll just be able to collect benefits on your own respective accounts.

Before applying for benefits, you should strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully compare and analyze all of your options so that you can determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry