Question: I’ve read a gazillion Social Security questions, but I don’t think I’ve seen this unusual one: My wife, two years older than me, filed for her SS at age 62 (with FRA of 66). Since I was ineligible for any SS at that time, when I finally file and suspend (for example) at age 66, will she then be able to claim a full spousal add-on — rather than the excess spousal calculation — only reduced by the 25 percent penalty she incurred on her own benefit claimed at 62?
Answer: No, she won’t be able to get a full spousal benefit. The minute she filed for her own retirement benefit, she plunged into what I call excess benefit hell. In excess benefit hell you can’t collect one benefit by itself while letting the other one grow. So, yes, she’ll only get an excess spousal benefit, which could well be zero. Sorry to impart this nasty news. This is one of the very many things Social Security doesn’t tell people when they apply for benefits.
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