Dear Rusty: My wife turns 65 in November of 2023. She was born on 11/21/1958.1 am a year younger with an 8/1/1959 birthdate. I know my wife is not at full retirement age, but the difference in her SS payment is not much and collecting 3 years of the lower amount far exceeds her waiting until age 68. My question is: because half of my SS is more than her SS, if she retires this year, will she still get 50% of my SS when I retire? Signed: Planning Our FutureDear Planning: Spouse benefits are one of Social Security’s trickiest areas, so you’re wise to get answers before either of you claim benefits. The short answer is, “No” - if your wife claims her own benefit this year, she will not get 50% of your benefit when you later claim. Here’s how it works: Born in November 1958, your wife’s full retirement age (FRA) is 66 years plus 8 months, which she will attain in July 2025. Born in August 1959, your FRA is 66 years plus 10 months, which you will reach in June 2026.Your wife will get a “spousal boost” to her personal SS benefit if her FRA entitlement is less than 50% of your FRA entitlement but, if she claims before reaching her FRA, her monthly payment when you claim will be less than 50% of your FRA entitlement (taking her own benefit early affects her total payment amount as your spouse). If, instead, your wife waits until her own FRA to claim her SS retirement benefit, her payment when you later claim will be increased to equal 50% of your FRA entitlement.I assume your reference to your wife “waiting until age 68” refers to her age when you claim at your FRA, but there is no reason for your wife to wait past her own FRA to claim benefits because her spousal benefit will not be more if she waits longer. So, the question is whether your wife should claim this year and get a reduced payment when you later claim or, instead, wait until her FRA to claim her own benefit and get her maximum benefit later. And that depends on 1) whether your wife is working, and 2) what her life expectancy is: 1. If your wife is working and claims early SS benefits, she will be subject to Social Security’s “earnings test” which ...
