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About the author
Andy Markowitz is an AARP senior writer and editor covering Social Security and retirement. He is a former editor of the Prague Post and Baltimore City Paper.
No. You can boost your own retirement benefit by putting off claiming Social Security until age 70 and accruing delayed retirement credits, but they do not apply to spousal benefits.
The most your spouse can receive on your work record is 50 percent of your primary insurance amount. That's the monthly benefit you are entitled to at full retirement age, which is 66 and 10 months for people born in 1959 and 67 for those born in 1960 and later.
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Nor does delayed retirement have any effect on the family maximum benefit — the cap on how much you, your spouse and your children can collect in total on your earnings record. The family maximum is based on your monthly benefit at full retirement age (it will be between 150 and 188 percent of that amount), regardless of the age at which you claimed your benefits.
Keep in mind
The rules are different for survivor benefits. A widow or widower whose spouse waited until 70 to file for Social Security is entitled to the full amount the deceased was getting, including the delayed retirement credits, so long as the surviving spouse has reached full retirement age. (Full retirement age differs for survivors — it’s 66 and 6 months for those born in 1959 and rises incrementally to 67 for those born in 1962 and later.)
More on Social Security
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Understanding Spousal Social Security Benefits
Social Security Earnings and Family Benefits