Ask Terry Questions Social security change from personal to spousal benefit

Social security change from personal to spousal benefit

By Terry Savage on July 14, 2025 | Social Security

My husband was affected by the WEP and GPO when he retired. He received a very small SS benefit from his work outside the pension plan. He started taking a payment of ~$200/ month when he turned 62. I waited to take my SS benefit when I turned 70. My current benefit is $2689 before deductions. My husband’s benefit just went up to $559 with the passing of the Fairness Act. We are the same age now which is 73. My question is whether he can switch from his benefit to a spousal benefit, and whether it would be higher than his current benefit given that he originally took his benefit before full retirement age. Thank you for any help you can give me.

Terry Says

There is only one accurate way to calculate the answer to this question. Go to MaximizeMySocialSecurity.com and they will do the calculation for you. Then you’ll know the correct number to give SS. They rarely do the correct calculation, so it is worth paying the $49 to make sure you get it right!

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