Dear Liz: My wife and I have been married for 18 months. I am 67, she is 66. She is not eligible to receive Social Security due to her work history. Is she eligible to receive spousal benefits now, even though I plan to wait until age 70 to receive mine?
Answer: Your wife can’t start spousal benefits until you begin receiving your own benefit. In the past, someone in your position could file a Social Security application and then immediately suspend it. That triggered the spousal benefit while allowing the primary earner’s benefit to continue growing. Congress changed those rules in 2015, however.