Dear Rusty: I am writing to get advice on the optimal time to sign up for Social Security benefits. I am a 64-year-old female, and my birthdate is August 1961. My husband is already taking his SS benefits, so I have also wondered if it would be advisable to take spousal benefits or full benefits. Signed: Wondering Spouse
Dear Wondering: If you take your Social Security benefits at age 64, they will be permanently reduced. And, for information, you cannot take only your spousal benefit; you must take your own SS retirement benefit whenever you claim. If you are entitled to more as your husband’s spouse, you will also get a “spousal boost” to bring your monthly payment up to what you are entitled to as a spouse. If you claim at any time before your SS full retirement age (FRA) of 67, both your own SS retirement amount and your spousal boost amount will be actuarially reduced for claiming early. All of which means that claiming before your FRA (e.g., at 64) will mean your monthly benefit will be less than 50% of your husband’s monthly FRA amount.
Now, for clarity, it’s important to know how spouse benefits are calculated: if your FRA entitlement is less than 50% of your husband’s FRA entitlement, then you will get a “spousal boost” added to your own SS retirement amount. Note that FRA amounts are always used to calculate spousal amounts, regardless of the age at which benefits are claimed. If your husband waited until age 70 to get a higher monthly benefit, or even if he claimed before his FRA, your spousal amount would still be based on his FRA entitlement. If your FRA benefit is less than half of his FRA entitlement, you will get a spousal boost. If not, you won’t.
Assuming you will be entitled to a “spousal boost,” the decision you must make is whether to claim early (e.g., now at 64) or wait until you are 67 to get your maximum amount as your husband’s spouse. The factors to consider are these:
- Are you still working? If so, claiming before FRA means you will be subject to an annual earnings limit until you reach FRA. The earnings limit for early filers in 2026 is $24,480, and if that is exceeded, SS will take away benefits of $1 for every $2 you are over the limit (the limit increases a bit yearly). If you substantially exceed the earnings limit by working, you may even be temporarily ineligible for SS benefits until you either reach your FRA or stop working full-time.
- Do you expect your husband to predecease you? If so, then your benefit as a widow will be 100% of the larger amount he is collecting when he passes (provided that when that occurs, you’ve reached your FRA and your own SS retirement is less). Depending on timing, that may mean that taking a reduced spouse benefit now, which will be replaced by your larger widow benefit later, is a logical choice.
- What is your own life expectancy? If you have health issues or have other reasons to believe you will not achieve “average” life expectancy (average is about 87 for a woman your current age), then claiming your Social Security benefits early is likely a prudent choice.
So, as you can see, you must evaluate your personal circumstances to make this decision. Although we aren’t able to say exactly when you should claim your SS benefits, I hope this provides the information you need to make an informed decision.
This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (amacfoundation.org/programs/social-security-advisory) or email us at [email protected]. Because we are a non-profit organization, all services are free.
