Ask Larry

My wife was 62 on 11/4/15. I was 66 on 6/5/1951 and suspended SS at age 66. Just bought your book "Get What's Yours". Does pg 93 , Case 1 apply to us? My wife's PIA might be larger than 1/2 of mine. Because she was 62 before Jan 2, 2016 can she still get 1/2 of my PIA at age 66 the same month I file for benefits? Even if her PIA is more than 1/2 of my PIA? Are we grandparented in??

Thanks

Hi,

Since your wife was born before January 2 1954, she has the option of filing just for spousal benefits only at full retirement age while allowing her own benefit rate to grow until age 70. That's true whether or not her own benefit rate would be higher than 50% of your benefit. However, she can't receive spousal benefits while your benefits are suspended since you suspended your benefits after April 29 2016 (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/claiming.html).

You and your wife should strongly consider using the maximization software available on this website in order to determine your best overall filing strategy.

Best, Jerry