David: I am one of the lucky ones who was grandfathered under the old Social Security claiming rules and was able to file a restricted claim for spousal benefits on my wife’s earnings record when I turned 66, allowing my own retirement benefit to continue to grow. As I approach my 70th birthday, I want to start collecting my own larger benefit, but I cannot find any information on how to do that. Is there a way I can apply for my benefit online or do I have to call Social Security?
MBF: One of the silver linings of the pandemic is the Social Security Administration has made it easier to conduct business online and over the phone. In the past, you had to go to your local SSA office in person to switch from spousal benefits to your own maximum retirement benefits. But that’s impossible these days as Social Security Administration suspended face-to-face meetings in field offices in March 2020 due to the pandemic and shifted much of its workforce to handle phone inquiries.
“If someone is already receiving spousal benefits and decides later to file for retirement benefits on his or her own record, he or she can apply for these benefits online,” Social Security spokesman Darren Lutz confirmed in an email.
Go to www.ssa.gov. On the main page, click on “online services” and then select “apply for retirement benefits.” Since you are currently collecting benefits on your spouse’s record, you should be able to start a new application for retirement benefits under your own Social Security number.
In the “remarks” box at the end of the application, you can explain that you are currently receiving spousal benefits and you want to switch to your own maximum retirement benefits beginning the month you turn 70.
“We encourage people to use our online services to file for benefits, however it is not the only way to file a claim,” Lutz wrote. “If people cannot conduct their Social Security business online, they should check our online field office locator (https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp) based on their zip code.”
Mary Beth Franklin, a certified financial planner, is a contributing editor for InvestmentNews.
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