[IvorT]

I don’t know the answer to your question, but I can confirm that the staff at the Leesburg office are very helpful. Maybe go soon because I heard that it fills up with villagers during winter!

[JoelJohnson]

If the husband made more than the wife during his working years, then waiting until 70 will allow the wife to get the higher benefit when he passes away.

[Topspinmo]

The way I understand it you’re SS benifits based on how much you paid in. If you both worked it’s based on what you earned individually. The spouse benifits is for those who divorced or didn’t work due to being homemaker and wasn’t able to work full career and could claim spouse benifits and receive 1/2 of they’re benifits if it calculated to be more? If you both worked and paid in full quarters required to collect benifits it probably not worth trying to claim spousal benifits unless one of you made substantial more.

[JoelJohnson]

Originally Posted by Topspinmo

The way I understand it you’re SS benifits based on how much you paid in. If you both worked it’s based on what you earned individually. The spouse benifits is for those who divorced or didn’t work due to being homemaker and wasn’t able to work full career and could claim spouse benifits and receive 1/2 of they’re benifits if it calculated to be more? If you both worked and paid in full quarters required to collect benifits it probably not worth trying to claim spousal benifits unless one of you made substantial more.

The amount you get is based on the highest 35 years of inflation adjusted earnings. If less than 35 years, an amount of zero is used. If the wife is younger and earns less then the husband, he might take the spousal benefit when he hits FRA until he hits 70 at which time he collects his own. Of course the wife will apply for SS early, since she will get difference between what she was getting and what he was getting to bring her up to his SS amount.

[biker1]

This strategy works as long as you were born before Jan 2, 1954.

Originally Posted by JoelJohnson

The amount you get is based on the highest 35 years of inflation adjusted earnings. If less than 35 years, an amount of zero is used. If the wife is younger and earns less then the husband, he might take the spousal benefit when he hits FRA until he hits 70 at which time he collects his own. Of course the wife will apply for SS early, since she will get difference between what she was getting and what he was getting to bring her up to his SS amount.