Dear Rusty: My spouse is 63 and I am 65. I am planning to take my Social Security benefits at age 70. Can my lower earning spouse take his own benefits now, and then – when I take my full benefits at age 70, can he then file for 50% of mine instead of the lower benefit he is getting because he claimed at age 63? Signed: Higher Earning Spouse
Dear Higher Earning Spouse: Yes, your lower-earning spouse can take his benefits based on his personal lifetime earnings record at any time (i.e., age 63) and, when you later claim your own SS at 70, your spouse will be evaluated to determine whether he is eligible for a “spousal boost” based on your Social Security record. But to be sure you are clear, if you claim at age 70, your spouse will not get 50% of your age 70 benefit amount.
Spousal benefits are always determined by comparing each partners’ full retirement age (FRA) entitlement and, if your spouse’s FRA entitlement is less than half of your FRA entitlement, your spouse will get a “spousal boost” to bring his monthly SS retirement payment up to what he is entitled to as your spouse. The amount of the “spousal boost” would be the difference between his FRA entitlement and 50% of your FRA entitlement, which would be added to his own (age 63) SS retirement amount. And that means that his total benefit amount would be less than half of your age 70 amount (less also than 50% of your FRA amount, because he claimed at age 63).
One caution for your spouse to be aware of: if he is still working and claims at age 63, he will be subject to Social Security’s Annual Earnings Test (AET), which limits how much he can earn before SS takes away some benefits. The earnings limit for 2026 is $24,480 (changes annually) and if that is exceeded, SS will take back $1 of benefits for every $2 he is over the limit. FYI, Social Security will “take back” by withholding future benefit payments, so he will not get his benefits for some months if he exceeds the annual earnings limit. And if the annual earnings limit is significantly exceeded, your spouse could even be temporarily ineligible to receive SS benefits (until he either earns less or reaches his full retirement age (the earnings limit goes away when FRA is reached)).
The only way your spouse can avoid both a reduced personal benefit and the annual earnings test limitation is to wait until his own full retirement age to claim Social Security. However, if he’s not working full time and needs the Social Security money sooner, then claiming at age 63 may be a good choice. In any case, he won’t get half of your age 70 amount.
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 service are free.
