Married couples should rethink their Social Security claiming strategy

Couples’ claiming choices are dwindling. The once-popular “file and suspend” strategy went away this spring. Another, called a “restricted application,” is now only available if at least one partner was age 62 before January 2, 2016.

But you still have the option to claim your own benefit, or collect an amount equivalent to half of what your spouse is eligible to receive. If one of you earned substantially more, picking that spousal benefit could be the more valuable choice, said certified financial planner Jeffrey Boyer, a partner at Regent Atlantic in Morristown, New Jersey. Check the numbers on your Social Security earning record.