3. Similar to the above for retirement benefits, if your spouse applies for retirement benefits early and you are receiving disability benefits, your spouse will automatically be deemed to be applying for a spousal supplement and the reduction that goes with starting this early.
4. One exception to being deemed to have started your retirement benefits to note. While caring for dependent children under age 16, you can get a spousal benefit, regardless of your age (must be 62 normally), without being deemed to have claimed your own retirement benefit. Your spouse will still need to have claimed their retirement benefits.
5. If you start your retirement early and your spouse has not claimed or suspended their retirement benefit, you can not get a spousal supplement until they do file.
6. Continuing off 5 above, if you have claimed your retirement benefit early, when you reach your FRA, if your spouse then files for their retirement and you want to switch to a spousal benefit, you will not get 50 percent. The formula is (A-B)+C Where A=½ the worker’s Primary Insurance Amount (PIA, their benefit at their FRA), B= 100 percent of the spouse’s PIA, and C= the spouse’s EARLY retirement benefit. Since starting early means C is less than B, the total is less than 50%. One only gets half their spouse’s benefit if the spousal benefit is claimed at FRA.
7. Spousal benefits do not receive delayed credits. If taking the spousal benefit is good for a couple, delaying the claim for spousal benefits past the recipient’s FRA has no additional benefit.
8. Same for widow/widower benefits. They can be started early but there is no benefit to delaying past FRA as no delayed credits apply. Before a worker dies, delaying does increase the potential survivor’s benefit.