My wife and I both work, but her projected Social Security benefit is less than half of mine at full retirement age. She is 6 months older than me.
Assuming we both live long lives, will she be entitled to 1/2 of my benefit when we start collecting? Would that be true at less than "full retirement" age? What if one of us retired at 62 and the other at 66?
Thanks, Art
Option I She starts drawing 1st - her earnings determine what she gets until you start to draw. Then her benefit becomes about 1/2 of what you draw.
Option 2. You start to draw 1st. When she begins to draw her benefit will be about 1/2 your benefit.
Probably the easiest way to think of this is that your spouse is entitled to use either his/her earnings record to calculate his/her benefit, or to use half of your earnings record to calculate his/her benefit. Either way, he/she must use any early retirement reductions that would apply to him/her.
For more on the above go to the ssa.gov web site and look around.
-HW "Skip" Weldon Columbia, SC
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