Hello Larry,
I will turn 66 later this year, followed by my wife about 6 months after me. Our plan is that I will file for benefits on my record when she turns 66, and she will file spousal benefits only at that time, switching to her own when she turns 70. My PIA is a little more than 1/2 of her PIA. I have 2 questions: 1) If I die before she reaches 70, can she continue to draw my benefit or her spousal benefit from me, then switch to her own at 70 ; 2) If she dies before 70, would her benefit continue to grow after her death so that I could wait to switch to her benefit when she would have turned 70? Thank you

Hi,

If you die before your wife reaches 70, her spousal benefits would convert to widow's benefits. She could then switch to her own record at age 70.

If your wife dies before reaching age 70, your maximum widower's benefit rate would be equal to the full rate she'd have received on her own record if she had filed effective with the month of her death. In other words, you would receive credit for any delayed retirement credits she had earned up until the time of her death, but not after that.

You may want to consider running the maximization software on this site to make sure that you choose the best possible strategy.

Best, Jerry