early social security access for non working spouse
Husband 73 and still working part time. Wife turning 63 with no income but did work for 10 years when younger. Can she take her reduced personal social security now and switch to spousal at full retirement age and/or if husband dies can she claim full spousal
benefit
Permalink Submitted by PaulC on Thu, 2024-03-21 14:39
If the wife is eligible for a spousal benefit and her husband is already claiming his retirement benefit, then she cannot opt to only claim the benefit she qualifies for based on her own earnings record while deferring her spousal benefit. The SSA will look at her full benefit eligibility and she would receive a total benefit of the higher of her own benefit or the spousal benefit. Each would be reduced if she’s claiming before her full retirement age (FRA). The situation would be different if her husband wasn’t already claiming his benefit. In that case, her benefit would be based solely upon her earnings record, as reduced for early claiming.
If her husband dies, her benefit will step up to his, assuming it’s higher, but she won’t receive both her benefit and his upon his death.