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Old 02-20-2015, 04:17 AM
 
105,916 posts, read 107,880,197 times
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this question keeps coming up over and over so i made it a subject line.

no , if you file early you can never switch to spousal benefits. that is an option only those who wait untill full retirement age get.

what you do get if 1/2 your spouses benefit is larger than your own is a bump up in your own amount.

lets say your early benefit at 62 is 10k and your full benefit would have been 13k.

your spouses full is 30k so half is 15k.

what you get is 1/2 their full which is 15k less your full which is 13k which equals 2k added to your early benefit.

so you get your 10k plus 2k or 13k . had you not filed early you would have gotten 15k .

so remember-you never give up your own if you file early except in the case of survivir benefits. that benefit always stays with you and gets a slight bump up based on a spouse's amount.
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Old 02-20-2015, 03:09 PM
 
Location: On the East Coast
2,361 posts, read 4,849,320 times
Reputation: 4103
Here is one of Tom Margenau's columns that deals with this exact topic.

Explaining Reduced Benefits on Creators.com

There are actually a lot of intricacies and scenarios to this, all depending on ages, when each applied for SS, etc.
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Old 02-20-2015, 03:13 PM
 
105,916 posts, read 107,880,197 times
Reputation: 79503
no matter the options, the one thing that never changes though is it is always your own benefit if you file before fra with survivor benefits being the only exception.

you can get some kicker added but any of the spousal manipulations like file and suspend or restricted application are only options at fra or older.

it is like my wife took hers at 62 but if i wait until my fra i can choose taking a spousal on her even if 1/2 hers is less than mine and leave mine to grow or i can file and suspend , let mine grow and she can get a kicker up added to hers if her own is less than 1/2 mine. that is two options right there .

these are choices that do not exist pre fra.
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