age deadline for spousal benefits
​Your husband is grandfathered in (he was 62 before Jan. 2, 2016), and thus, he is free to take just a spousal benefit between 66 and 70 while letting his own retirement benefit grow through age 70, but he can only do so starting in the month you file for your own retirement benefit. Beth – Wolcott, Conn.: The “new” rules for Social Security benefits have me a little confused. I will not reach full retirement age until September 2016. I would like to collect my spousal benefit at that time and not file for my own benefit until age 70. Here is a summary of the results for two-earner couples with normal life expectancies: Another way to put it is: file and suspend is recommended in 27.5% (= 10% + 17.5%) of the reports, while restricted application (or free spousal) is recommended in 75.0% (= 57.5% + 17.5%) of them. The key advantage afforded by the file and suspend strategy was to increase the Social Security claiming options for many married couples by allowing them to take advantage of spousal benefits and delayed retirement credits simultaneously. • If you are at retirement age and your spouse has applied for Social Security benefits (even if. he or she files and suspends), you can choose to file and receive benefits on just your spouse’s. Social Security record and delay filing for benefits on your own record up until age 70. For more information, consult: the SSA’s page, “Delay my Social Security retirement and receive spouse’s benefits,” http://ssa-. custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1944/kw/can%20i%20draw%20a%20spousal%20. Social Security. Retirement Planner: Benefits For You As A Spouse. Even if you have never worked under Social Security, you may be able to get spouse’s retirement benefits if you are at least 62 years of age and your spouse is receiving retirement or disability benefits. You can also qualify for Medicare at age 65. If you a) are between 66 and 70 or will turn 66 on or before April 30, b) have a spouse who was 62 before Jan. 2, 2016 or have young or disabled children (who became disabled before 22 and remained disabled) and c) want to provide them benefits on your work record while your own benefit is suspended (thus, letting it grow through its age-70 maximum ... The file and suspend strategy was useful for some couples, but its applicability was often exaggerated by financial columnists. Consider the example of Ken, a 66 year old with a Social Security benefit of $2600 if he were to claim now, and his wife Lois, a 62 year old whose benefit would increase to $600 if she were to claim at 66. Social Security File and Suspend: Important Deadline and Changes. Up until now, if a married couple had one spouse at full retirement age (66 or older), file and suspend allowed the other spouse and/or a dependent to enjoy short-and long-term benefits. But after April 29, 2016, this will no longer be the case. For example, if Tom is age 62 or older by January 1, 2016 and his spouse, Helen, is at her FRA or older by April 29, 2016, Helen would either need to file and suspend by April 29, 2016 or, failing that, file and receive her own retirement benefit to enable Tom to receive a spousal benefit on Helen’s record at his full retirement age.
70