Benefits for Spouses

spousal claim right away.

Q: I am turning 62. My husband is 68 and getting Social Security. Can I claim reduced spousal benefits now on his record and then at age 67 switch to full benefits on my own record?

A: No, you can’t do that. You must file for your own benefits first. After you do that, they will look at your husband’s record to see if you can get any extra spousal benefits from him.

Q: My wife took her own Social Security at 62. I am about to reach my full retirement age and plan to start my own Social Security. My wife is now 67. Her own benefit is very small, much less than mine will be. How can I figure out if my wife is due any spousal benefits on my record?

A: The formula is pretty simple. They will take your wife’s full retirement age rate (even though she took benefits at 62) and subtract that from one-half of your FRA rate. Any difference will be added to her reduced retirement benefit rate.

Q: I am waiting until age 70 to claim my Social Security. I am doing that to get the bonus added to my retirement rate for delaying starting my benefits until 70. But I was also doing that so that my wife will get my augmented benefits after I die. (Her own benefit is about a thousand dollars less than mine.) So, imagine my shock when a Social Security rep recently told me that after I die, my wife’s widow’s benefit will be based on my full retirement age rate, not my age 70 rate. Is this right?

A: No, it’s not right. And for some reason (lack of training?), SSA reps frequently get this wrong. While you are alive, any spousal benefits she might be due are based on your full retirement age benefit. But after you die, her widow’s benefits are based on your augmented age 70 rate, including the bonus you got for waiting that long to claim your benefits.

Q: I am 63 and have been a wife and homemaker all my life. So, I get a small percentage of my husband’s Social Security. But I’ve always wondered this: Why don’t women in my position get Social Security credits for the work we did as homemakers and child-care providers?

A: As I explained in a column not too long ago, this is a topic that has been debated for years. But the issue always comes down to this: Where would the money or earnings come from to put on your Social Security record? The only viable solution policy planners have ever come up with is a concept known as “earnings sharing.” In a nutshell, that means a working husband and stay-athome mom would split the earnings the husband makes. For example, if Husband Henry makes $100,000 per year,

$50,000 would go on his Social Security record and $50,000 would go on Wife Wilma’s Social Security record. Now, that might make Wife Wilma happy that she’s being “paid” for Social Security purposes with earnings and credits going on her account. But just ask Husband Henry how thrilled he is that he only gets Social Security credit for half the money he makes -- and eventually ends up with a much smaller Social Security benefit!

If you have a Social Security question, Tom Margenau has two books with all the answers. One is called “Social Security -- Simple and Smart: 10 Easy-to-Understand Fact Sheets That Will Answer All Your Questions About Social Security.” The other is “Social Security: 100 Myths and 100 Facts.” You can find the books at Amazon.com or other book outlets.

COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS.COM