Q & A
Can a spouse apply just for spousal benefits?
Full question: I am 60 and collecting $2,400 in Social Security disability. My husband is nine months older than I am and retired. I was the higher wage earner. We estimate his Social Security payments, based on his earnings, to be $1,100 a month (plus cost-of-living adjustment increases) if taken at age 62 or $1,500 a month if taken at 66. How does he let the Social Security Administration know he wants to defer his claim on his own earnings until he is 66 and file a claim against mine at 62? My understanding is that he would receive a combination of his and mine at 62 that, in effect, pays him $1,200 a month. I understand that since I receive disability payments, my younger age is not a factor. The calculations would also be based on my full monthly payments, which are equivalent to age-66 benefits, when one is collecting disability. Do I have this all straight? Thank you!
Answer: Your husband can’t do what you suggest. He cannot apply just for a spousal benefit. If he does, he’ll be deemed to also be filing for his retirement benefit. And his own retirement benefit will likely exceed his spousal benefit, in which case he’ll receive it, not the spousal benefit. In other words, Social Security pays you the larger of two benefits if you try to take two benefits at once. (This is not strictly true, but it’s a close enough approximation for your case.) Read more…
Source: LAURENCE KOTLIKOFF, www.pbs.org
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