6 Ways Couples Can Maximize Social Security Payouts

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So I am 63 in Auguast and my wife turned 60 in April. I may think about claiming SS benefits at age 66. My wife wold be 63. She has quaters in but her benefits based on her income is much less than 1/2 of mine ( I max out). My question is can she claim her benfits at 63 and then at 66 get 1/2 of mine? Is there any thing I am missing that woul dhelp maximize our benefits.

Larry of MD 12:23PM May 04, 2012

If my wife waits until 65 to take social security and I start at 62, (she is older) and we select the spousal benefit as my payment would be over twice higher than hers. How is her benefit calculated. At 50% of my full retirement at 66 or at my current payout at 62?

Greg Zickuhr of WI 5:40PM April 02, 2012

My wife is 100% disabled, 62 years old, and receives SS Disability payments. I am 64 years old. I want to maximize my SS. Can I claim SS on my spouse's income when I am 66 and then claim on my earnings when I reach 70 in order to maximize my income?

James C Hooker of TX 3:45PM April 02, 2012

I am convinced that no one at the Social Security offices knows what they are talking about----I get a different response to the same question. My husband is younger than I by 15 months. He will be 62 in April 2012. He signed up at the SS website to get his benefits. He will be receiving his first SS check about the third week in June. Now, I started receiving benefits from SS when I turned 62. My benefit is significantly higher than his. I have been collecting my SS checks since last January 2011. Even though my husband is turning 62, I see there is a way he can collect off of my higher benefit. What do we have to do to achieve this? Does he have to withdraw his application and refile a new one? Of course , we were not aware of this option and he started the application process too soon. If he can do this, his benefit would be over $350.00 more per month at the age of 66 years, so as far as we are concerned, this appears to have a major advantage in waiting to collect his own at age 66. Have I understood this tactic correctly? Thanks so much for an explanation.

Doris of NC 11:18AM March 28, 2012

I am 74 yrs old and I have been receiving social security benefits at age 62, but I continued working until now. My wife will be turning 62 this coming year and choose to collect early retirement which she did work for 20 yrs in her early age. Since I'm the higher earner, what will my wife benefits or what percentage she will received if I should pass away.

Antonio Jaime of CA 12:48PM January 24, 2012

I was 100% disabled a few months before I turned 62. I started receiving social security benefits at that time. My wife, a year younger than me, started taking her social security benefits at 62. Now she is almost 66. If I should pass away, what will my wife's benefits be. Or in other words, what will she receive of my benefit as a percentage and what will she receive of hers. My social security benefits is twice hers.

Robert St. Austin of CA 1:04AM January 24, 2012

I AM 61 YRS OLD, BORN ON JULY 6, 1950. I'VE BEEN ON SS DISABILITY SINCE OCT 2008 DUE TO MS. I WAS MARRIED FOR 20 YRS AS A FIRST WIFE & DIVORCED IN 1989. I'M GOING TO SIGN UP FOR REGULAR SS THIS MONTH AND I JUST WONDER IF THE AMOUNT I RECEIVE WILL CHANGE. I NOW RECEIVE $1038.00 PER MONTH. PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN. THANK YOU.

CATHY H. STRACH of PA 4:52PM January 14, 2012

Keep posting.

DC of TX 11:59AM December 01, 2010

Still gloating about Clinton's Impeachment. Well you knew you guys were gonna get him for something. Was kinda wimpy the way you did it though. Cost us a heck of a lot of money too. Never the less, you did it. I imagine you folks are working on something similar to take down Obama. What ever helps you sleep at night. By the way! Nice going with the tea party folks the GOP suported this time around. Christine O'Donell.....lol.....Really Jeff? Really

John of DE 3:58PM November 15, 2010

If the downturn started during Clinton's last year (he must have been somewhat smarter than Bush since he had 7 good years), why wasn't Bush smart enough to not continue bad policy, but implement even worse policy. If we stopped Nation Building and wars that accompolish nothing, we would have money to pay social security. US money goes to provide free medical to the people of Iraq

middleman of OH 9:34PM August 13, 2010