Why Claiming Social Security Early Despite Poor Health Might Hurt Your Spouse

Many people facing poor health believe that filing for Social Security benefits early is their best option. The logic seems sound: if your health is declining and life expectancy is uncertain, why wait until 70 to collect benefits when you could start at 62? However, this reasoning, while understandable, overlooks a crucial factor that could significantly impact your family’s financial security—especially if you’re married and the primary earner.

The Early Filing Trap for Couples

The decision to claim Social Security early reduces your monthly payments permanently. If you file at 62 instead of waiting until full retirement age (67 for those born after 1960), you’ll receive considerably less each month for the rest of your life. While this trade-off might make sense if you expect not to live long, there’s an important consideration many people miss: what happens to your spouse when you pass away?

Your surviving spouse will be eligible to receive survivor benefits equal to 100% of whatever monthly amount you were collecting at the time of your death. This is where poor planning becomes problematic. If you’ve already slashed your monthly benefit by claiming early due to health concerns, your spouse inherits that reduced payment. For a spouse who may live many more years after you, this can mean decades of substantially lower income.

How Poor Planning Affects Survivor Benefits

Consider a scenario: You’re the higher earner in your household, and your health isn’t great. You decide to claim $1,500 per month at age 62. When you pass away, your spouse steps into a survivor benefit of $1,500 monthly. However, had you waited until full retirement age at 67, your monthly benefit might have been $2,000—and that’s what your surviving spouse would receive. The difference amounts to $500 per month, or $6,000 per year your spouse would be missing out on.

Not every situation requires this concern. If your spouse earned substantially more than you and qualifies for their own higher Social Security benefit, they’ll receive whichever amount is larger—their own retirement benefit or your survivor benefit. In this case, an early claim on your part doesn’t necessarily harm their financial situation. But if you were the household’s primary earner, the math becomes much less favorable.

Running the Numbers Before You Decide

Before committing to early filing, take time to analyze your specific circumstances. Ask yourself: Will my spouse’s own Social Security benefit exceed the survivor benefit they’d receive based on my earnings? If the answer is no, then claiming early—even with poor health—could leave your spouse financially vulnerable.

Some people in poor health determine that the total amount they’ll collect from early filing exceeds what they’d receive by waiting (a reasonable outcome for those with shorter life expectancies). But this calculation must include the impact on survivor benefits. A financial advisor or Social Security specialist can help you run projections that account for multiple scenarios, including longevity assumptions and your spouse’s financial needs.

Make It a Joint Decision

If you’re married, this shouldn’t be a decision you make alone. Discuss your Social Security filing strategy with your spouse openly and honestly. Together, you can weigh the immediate advantage of larger early payments against the long-term risk to your spouse’s financial security. This conversation might reveal options you hadn’t considered—like one spouse delaying while the other files early, or adjusting other aspects of your retirement plan to compensate.

The bottom line: poor health may indeed make early filing attractive to you personally, but its ripple effects extend beyond your own lifetime. Taking time to consider how your choice affects your spouse’s future is not just considerate—it’s essential financial planning.