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Life doesn't allow many do overs, especially when
it comes to financial planning. Most of us simply save and invest
as best we can and hope that in retirement we run out of time before
we run out of money.
Until recently, financial planners tended to treat Social Security benefits as the arthritic component of a retirement plan: a predictable, if feeble, income stream with limited range of motion.
But between ages 62 and 70, you can bust three surprising Social Security dance moves -- the reset, the file and suspend, and the restricted application -- which can significantly expand your planning options and supersize your benefits.
1. The reset
The reset, or do over, feature gives some flexibility to taxpayers
who may have lived to regret taking a reduced benefit at age 62
instead of their full benefit at age 65 or 66, or the bonus amount
by delaying retirement until age 70.
It allows you to reset your benefit amount by essentially coming out of retirement by filing Social Security Form 521, or a "Request for Withdrawal of Application," repaying all Social Security benefits received to date with no interest or adjustment for inflation, then reapplying at your current age. You can do it only once, and it is irreversible.
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Once the Social Security Administration approves your request, which is almost automatic, you collect at the stepped-up amount for as long as you can fog a mirror. One added plus: Your spouse thereafter may collect spousal or survivor benefits based on your stepped-up benefit rather than your meager early retirement amount.
2. The file and suspend
File and suspend allows married taxpayers who retire at different ages to collect optimal benefits. Here's how it works:
Let's say Jack has reached his full retirement age
of 66 but plans to work until 70 to collect his delayed retirement
credits, which can increase his full benefit amount by 32 percent.
Let's also say Jill, his nonworking spouse, just turned 62. He can
file for Social Security benefits but request an immediate suspension
of his benefits, which allows Jill to then apply for her Social
Security at his benefit level, without locking him into a lower
payment for life. He won't receive any checks and will continue
to accrue delayed retirement credits for himself.
His wife can then apply for benefits on his record
and begin receiving checks at a higher amount than she would have
received on her own employment record.
With a little planning and saving, Jack later may decide to reset at age 70, which would increase not only his own lifetime benefit but Jill's spousal and survivor benefit.
3. The restricted application
Let's juggle our Jack-and-Jill equation a bit. Jack is still 66 and wants to work until he's 70. Now let's say Jill is also 66 and looking to retire, but her career has earned her a full benefit on her own record. So she won't be drawing on Jack's record. In this case, Jack would not file for Social Security but would instead do what is called "restricting an application" to Jill's benefits only.
What does that do? It allows Jack to file as spouse on Jill's record and earn half of her full benefit while still racking up delayed retirement credits of his own. That means if Jill earns $1,000 a month, Jack will receive $500 a month on her record while he continues working, increasing their family benefit amount 50 percent.
When Jack retires at 70, his delayed credits will bring a higher benefit amount, which would mean a higher survivor benefit for Jill should she outlive Jack.
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