MW I make more than my wife. Can she claim Social Security at 62 and later switch to spousal benefits?

By Alessandra Malito

'I delayed collecting my benefits until this year, when I turned 70'

Spouses can no longer switch between their own retirement benefits and spousal benefits when they're eligible for both upon claiming. (Photo subjects are models.)

Dear Help Me Retire,

My wife is about to turn 62. Can she claim her Social Security benefits now at a reduced rate and, at age 67, switch to collecting half of my full benefits?

I delayed collecting my benefits until this year, when I turned 70, because I believe my wife can collect my full delayed benefits after I die.

Do either of the above scenarios interfere with that expectation?

Concerned Husband

Related: Financial advisers want $5K to do my Roth conversions. Will they really help me avoid tax?

Dear Concerned Husband,

The short answer to your first question: No, your wife can't claim her benefits now and switch to spousal benefits later on if she's eligible for both when she files for benefits. That restriction wasn't always the case, but it is nowadays thanks to the "deemed filing" rule.

This rule states that when someone files for benefits, he or she receives the higher of whatever is available to them, be it the retiree's own retirement benefits or spousal benefits. In your wife's case, if she claims at age 62, she would get whichever is highest - although claiming at the earliest age would result in a permanently reduced monthly benefit.

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Previously, spouses could switch between benefits before their full retirement age $(FRA)$ so that one benefit grew while receiving the other. This rule is only applicable to people who turned 62 before Jan. 2, 2016. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 changed the rules; now, anyone who turned 62 on or after Jan. 2, 2016 must file for anything they are eligible to receive.

"Historically, if spousal benefits were higher than their own retirement benefit, they received a combination of benefits equaling the higher benefit. This change in the law preserves the fairness of the incentives to delay, but it means that you cannot receive one type of benefit while at the same time earning a bonus for delaying the other benefit," according to the Social Security Administration.

There are some exceptions to that rule - like if your wife received spousal benefits and is caring for your child, or if she was receiving spousal benefits and entitled to disability benefits as well.

The difference for survivors

The main exception, however, involves survivor benefits. You are right that delaying taking your benefits until age 70 does give your wife the best chance of having the highest benefits available to her as a survivor - but keep in mind that when she claims, it will impact those benefits too. If she claims survivor benefits early, she'd see a reduction in benefits then as well.

Survivor benefits for spouses and ex-spouses begin at 71.5%, depending on your age, but rise as time goes on. For instance, someone who is 63 could get more than 80% of their spouse's benefit, while someone at 65 can get more than 90%. If she were to wait until her FRA, she'd get 100%. And yes, survivor benefits do include the delayed credits you earned for waiting past your own FRA to age 70.

She can switch to survivor benefits even if she decides to claim her own benefits or spousal benefits early. Spousal benefits differ from survivor benefits, in that the former don't include delayed credits. Her spousal benefits could be as much as 50% of your primary insurance amount, which is what you were eligible for at FRA, but it would not be half of your full benefit as it is now at age 70.

To sum up: For Social Security retirement benefits, your wife's FRA is 67, given her age, and her earliest claiming age is 62 - but she would have a permanent reduction in benefits if she claimed at that age for (a) her own retirement benefits and (b) any spousal benefits she might be entitled to.

Keep that in mind as you both parse through the options.

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Have a question about your own retirement savings? Email us at HelpMeRetire@marketwatch.com.

-Alessandra Malito

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December 27, 2025 07:00 ET (12:00 GMT)

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