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If My Primary Insurance Amount Increases, Does My Wife's Spousal Benefit Also Increase?
My wife and are are both age 68. At age 66, I filed and immediately suspended to allow my wife to begin claiming her Spousal benefit. She does not have her own benefit. I continued to work and recently received a notice that my PIA has increased as a result of the continued work increasing the average indexed monthly income. Will this increase in MY PIA (currently being deferred), cause my wife's spousal benefit to get a bump to 1/2 of the FRA PIA?
Hi,
For other readers, I'll preface by explaining that a person's primary insurance amount (PIA) is also referred to as their full retirement age benefit amount. Your wife's spousal benefit is derived from your PIA, so if your PIA increases as a result of your additional earnings, her spousal benefit should also increase.
Unreduced spousal benefits are equal to 50% of the worker's PIA, so if your wife started her spousal benefits at age 66, her benefit rate should always equal 50% of your PIA. Spousal benefits do not include any portion of the worker's delayed retirement credits, though.
Best, Jerry
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Posted:
October 30, 2016