Ask Larry

Quick question.... So I presented to you the following scenario....I turn 66 in February of 2017 & my husband turns 66 in November of 2017. He has been very successful & earns substantially more than I. We are both in good health and don't depend on social security for our future needs.Your suggestion ( and what I was thinking as well) would be for me to take my social security at 66 and for my husband o take his at 70 at which time I would apply for the spousal benefit. I have one further question now. Should he apply for half my social security when he turns 66 (I read something about a restricted application and was wondering if it would be useful here) and then apply for his own at the age of 70? Clearly, I don't want to do anything that would jeopardize his getting his own social security at 70 or my getting a spousal benefit when he turns 70. Can you offer an opinion here?

Hi,

Yes, he can and should file a restricted application for spousal benefits only effective with the month he turns age 66, assuming that you've started drawing your benefits by that time. I'm sorry that I neglected to add that suggestion to my original answer.

Determining the best filing strategy is complicated, so it's very easy to overlook something important. That's why it's a good idea to use the maximization software available on this website in order to avoid making a costly mistake.

Best, Jerry