Spousal SS filing Question (husband, benefit, deal, spouses)

[reed303]

Originally Posted by tibbar

Thanks for the link. I can't get to any forms since I can't get into my account, I fill in the boxes for "forgot my user name" and click next and nothing happens, I just tried again today... I would like to fill out the paperwork (if it already wasn't filled out by the lady in the office) to make the process go smoothly but I have to get online with them somehow.

If the form you are looking for is SSA-2-BK "APPLICATION FOR WIFE'S OR HUSBAND'S INSURANCE BENEFITS"
the PDF for it is available here without logging into an account.

https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-2-bk.pdf

Others might be found here:

https://www.ssa.gov/forms/

[tibbar]

Originally Posted by reed303

If the form you are looking for is SSA-2-BK "APPLICATION FOR WIFE'S OR HUSBAND'S INSURANCE BENEFITS"
the PDF for it is available here without logging into an account.

https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-2-bk.pdf

Others might be found here:

https://www.ssa.gov/forms/

Thank you for the forms!

[rothbear]

I don't know how all of you are doing this online. DH made an appt for the end of November last year but then SS screwed up and started his the month of his 66th birthday instead of waiting until January. We decided to go anyway and I decided to apply for spousal while there. Agent insisted that he needed a hard copy of our marriage license, so we had to go home and dig it out, make a copy and DH took it back the next day.

So not sure how you can do it online when you have to give them a hard copy of your marriage license. Was a waste of time and effort anyway since SS said I didn't qualify for any more since I took mine at 62.5.

[tibbar]

Originally Posted by rothbear

I don't know how all of you are doing this online. DH made an appt for the end of November last year but then SS screwed up and started his the month of his 66th birthday instead of waiting until January. We decided to go anyway and I decided to apply for spousal while there. Agent insisted that he needed a hard copy of our marriage license, so we had to go home and dig it out, make a copy and DH took it back the next day.

So not sure how you can do it online when you have to give them a hard copy of your marriage license. Was a waste of time and effort anyway since SS said I didn't qualify for any more since I took mine at 62.5.

That is what I thought about filing early. According to the lady I spoke with my early filing won't matter since I am filing for spousal a couple years past my full retirement age. I am expecting a couple hundred more and she is saying much more than that. Guess we will see.

[mathjak107]

we could not do spousal on line . we could only print the forms , mail them in with the documentation ,then make a phone call date .

[kelly237]

Originally Posted by tibbar

That is what I thought about filing early. According to the lady I spoke with my early filing won't matter since I am filing for spousal a couple years past my full retirement age. I am expecting a couple hundred more and she is saying much more than that. Guess we will see.

You may have been allowed to file on one account and let the other grow because of an age cut off for the rule change.
I think that has changed now.

[rothbear]

Originally Posted by tibbar

That is what I thought about filing early. According to the lady I spoke with my early filing won't matter since I am filing for spousal a couple years past my full retirement age. I am expecting a couple hundred more and she is saying much more than that. Guess we will see.

I was told that if you file at 62 you will only get about 1/3 of spousal instead of 1/2. When they figure it out they use the number you would have received at FRA and not the number you get at 62. So if what you would have gotten at FRA is more than 1/2 of spousal then you will get NO extra benefits. If it is less then they subtract your FRA amount from 1/2 of spousal amount and then add that to what you are currently getting. In my case. my FRA amount would have been about $1200. DH amount is about $2200 so my FRA amount is more than 1/2 of his so I got nothing extra even though my actual amount I am getting is about $874.

[tibbar]

Originally Posted by rothbear

I was told that if you file at 62 you will only get about 1/3 of spousal instead of 1/2. When they figure it out they use the number you would have received at FRA and not the number you get at 62. So if what you would have gotten at FRA is more than 1/2 of spousal then you will get NO extra benefits. If it is less then they subtract your FRA amount from 1/2 of spousal amount and then add that to what you are currently getting. In my case. my FRA amount would have been about $1200. DH amount is about $2200 so my FRA amount is more than 1/2 of his so I got nothing extra even though my actual amount I am getting is about $874.

Thanks for the explanation, it helps me see what numbers they use.

[mathjak107]

Originally Posted by rothbear

I was told that if you file at 62 you will only get about 1/3 of spousal instead of 1/2. When they figure it out they use the number you would have received at FRA and not the number you get at 62. So if what you would have gotten at FRA is more than 1/2 of spousal then you will get NO extra benefits. If it is less then they subtract your FRA amount from 1/2 of spousal amount and then add that to what you are currently getting. In my case. my FRA amount would have been about $1200. DH amount is about $2200 so my FRA amount is more than 1/2 of his so I got nothing extra even though my actual amount I am getting is about $874.

it is a lot more complex than that depending on who files and their ages .

if you both are fra than the spouse gets their own or 1/2 their spouses full , which ever is higher . nice and simple .
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now let us suppose the husband has the higher benefit .




wife filed for her early benefit , husband files and wife is now fra herself , they take 1/2 the husbands full and wife's full fra amount , even though she filed early and subtract them . what is left is added to the early benefit already being received. it will always work out less than 1/2 the larger benefit .
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the hard one is you both file pre fra , then it is advisable to use the calculator
basically if your fra is 66 and you both file at 62 .

the higher benefit is reduced by 25% from the full amount and the spousal is reduced by 30% based on 1/2 the higher benefit .

so if the higher benefit has a full amount of 1000 dollars but the husband files at 62 , and the wife files at 62 , the husband gets 750 and the wife gets 1/2 that 1k less 30% or 350.00 .

that number is adjusted if you both file later and later . see the instructions at the bottom of the chart as to how to adjust as you both get closer to fra .

https://www.ssa.gov/oact/quickcalc/earlyretire.html

[tibbar]

Update to my SS Spousal questions.

I got the call on the 16th and after the call I went to the SS near us with my Marriage license so they could make a copy. 1 1/2 hour wait and by this time I was thinking mailing it in would have been OK LOL.

I asked her to explain the process to get my number and she did so on paper very clear and easy to understand.

1. take my FRA and subtract what I am getting now. I filed at 62.
2. use 1/2 of husbands FRA ... does not matter that he is just turning 62 and just filed for early SS...use FRA number. Use the 1/2 number because I am filing at age 67, makes no difference that I filed for mine early since I am at/past FRA when I am filing for spousal.
3. 1/2 of husbands FRA minus the number I get when current payment is subtracted from my FRA payment.
4. that number is my new SS benefit.

5. that new payment number is my current SS payment + enough $$ added to it to equal the new benefit amount.

Example...$3000 FRA -50%= $1500 spouse FRA $600 - $400 early filed = $200 difference

....$1500 - $200 = $1300 new benefit to one filing for spousal

... the numbers are $400 current benefit + $900 from spouses benefit = new payment of $1300

Not my numbers, just easy numbers.