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Does deemed filing apply to me?

I plan to retire at age 64; I will continue to work part-time, paying close attention to the $1470 per month limit.  My husband retired at FRA 66. He continues to work full-time

A SS agent told me that I will receive my benefit (around $900) AND some of husband's benefit to reach the amount that he receives every month. True??

 

thanks !

Debbi

 

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@DebbiM890977 wrote:

I plan to retire at age 64; I will continue to work part-time, paying close attention to the $1470 per month limit.  My husband retired at FRA 66. He continues to work full-time

A SS agent told me that I will receive my benefit (around $900) AND some of husband's benefit to reach the amount that he receives every month. True??

 

thanks !

Debbi

 


Here is the definition, rules and applicable restriction dates for the Social Security Deemed Filing rule.

Social Security: Retirement Planner - Deemed Filing For Retirement And Spouse’s Benefits FAQs

 

if you turn age 62 on or after January 2, 2016, you are required or “deemed” to file for both your own retirement and for any benefits you are due as a spouse, no matter what age you are.

 

So yes, you are deemed to be filing for all your benefits (your retirement benefits and your spousal benefits) when you retire at 64 -  UNLESS one of these other (2) exceptions apply to you -

 

The rules for deemed filing apply only to retirement benefits based on your own work record and to the spousal benefits (including divorced spouse’s) you receive based on retirement. There are two exceptions in which deemed filing does not apply to these benefits. If you receive a spousal benefit because you are caring for a child who is under age 16 or disabled or if you receive spouse's benefits and are also entitled to disability, deemed filing does not apply and you are therefore not required or “deemed” to file for your retirement benefit.

 

All this (deemed filing) means is that you cannot move from one of these benefits to the other because you have made claim on both and you will receive the higher of the two types -

 

Regardless of how the math works to come up to your full ( reduced )benefit - you will get the highest amount possible but remember, you are taking early retirement and thus your full benefit will be reduced by a % for those (about)  3-years you are taking it early.

SSA.gov - Benefit Planner - What do the Recent Claiming Changes Mean for Me?

If you are eligible for benefits both as a retired worker and as a spouse (or divorced spouse) in the first month you want your benefits to begin and are not yet full retirement age, you must apply for both benefits. You will receive the higher of the two benefits. This requirement is called “deemed filing” because when you apply for one benefit you are “deemed” to have also applied for the other.

 

You will receive whichever is higher - your spousal benefit OR your own early (reduced) benefit

SSA.gov - Benefits for Spouses

A spouse can choose to retire as early as age 62, but doing so may result in a benefit as little as 32.5 percent of the worker's primary insurance amount. A spousal benefit is reduced 25/36 of one percent for each month before normal retirement age, up to 36 months. If the number of months exceeds 36, then the benefit is further reduced 5/12 of one percent per month.

 

For a spouse who is not entitled to benefits on his or her own earnings record, this reduction factor is applied to the base spousal benefit, which is 50 percent of the worker's primary insurance amount. For example, if the worker's primary insurance amount is $1,600 and the worker's spouse chooses to begin receiving benefits 36 months before his or her normal retirement age, we first take 50 percent of $1,600 to get an $800 base spousal benefit. Then we compute the reduction factor, which is 36 times 25/36 of one percent, or 25 percent. Applying a 25 percent reduction to the $800 amount gives a spousal benefit of $600. Thus, in this case, the final spousal benefit is 37.5 percent of the primary insurance amount.

 

 

 

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