Page 25 - Senior Times South Central Michigan - March 2019- 26-03
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Senior Times - March 2019 Spousal Bene ts And
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900 Territorial Road W, Battle Creek, Michigan 49015 Call 269-968-0300 or lakeviewmgr@gmail.com
An apartment community for seniors 55 and older
(Between Capital Avenue and 20th Street)
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Enrolling In Medicare
By: John Grimaldi
Dear Rusty: I will be 65 in March. My husband will be 61 in August. If
I started collecting Social Security
now would I only be able to collect on myself? My husband plans on collect- ing at 62. Will I be able to collect some of his when he starts collecting at age 62? Also, who can advise me about Medicare? Do I have to apply now? Signed: Needing Advice
Dear Needing Advice: Yes, if you start your Social Security benefits now, you can only collect your own benefits; you cannot collect a spousal benefit until your husband starts collecting
his benefits. Whether you will get a spousal benefit from your husband’s record depends upon whether your own benefit at your full retirement age of 66 is less than 1⁄2 of your husband’s benefit at his full retirement age (or “FRA”).
If you do not now have credit-
able coverage you need to enroll in Medicare now. You are still in your initial enrollment period, which begins three months before the month you turn 65 and ends three months after the month you are 65. If you do not apply within this time frame and you don’t have other creditable coverage you will be subject to a 10% Part B penalty (that never goes away) for each year you delay.
employer or your husband’s), which will continue after you are 65, you do not need to enroll in Part B or Part D at this time. You should check with the employer’s Human Resource depart- ment to make sure their coverage will remain first payer now that you are Medicare eligible.
703 Capital Ave., SW, Battle Creek • www.henryfuneralhome.org 269-962-5191
JOSEPH U. STASA • THOMAS C. COLEMAN • PAULA S. COLEMAN • DENNY P. SEIVERT
IN MEMORY OF OUR FOUNDER, RICHARD A. HENRY – 1926-2015
If your husband will be 61 in 2019 his full retirement age for Social Security purposes is 66 and eight months and if he starts his benefit at age 62 it will be 28.3% less than it would be at his full retirement age. If you start your benefit at age 65, it will be reduced by 6.7% from what you would get at your FRA of 66.
The current monthly premium for Medicare Part B is $135.50 for a married couple filing a joint income tax return with a combined income (from all sources) of $170,000 or less.
Your spousal benefit will be
based upon both of your FRA benefit amounts and, if your husband claims his benefit in August 2020 when he is 62, you will have already reached your FRA. So, if 50% of your husband’s FRA benefit amount is more than your FRA benefit amount you’ll get a spou- sal boost. But since you are taking your own benefit one year earlier than your FRA, the spousal boost will be added to your own reduced benefit amount, which means your total spousal benefit will be slightly less than half of your husband’s FRA benefit amount.
If you apply now for your Social Security benefits to start in March, you’ll be automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A (hospitalization) and Part B, but you can choose to opt out of Part B (doctors and outpatient services) as part of the application process.
BICKFORD OF BATTLE CREEK
3432 Capital Ave SW, Battle Creek, MI 49015 | (269) 599-5351 www.enrichinghappiness.com Bickford Cottage of Battle Creek
To summarize: you can’t get a spou- sal benefit until your husband starts collecting his; you will only get a spou- sal benefit if 50% of your husband’s benefit at his FRA is more than your FRA benefit amount; and your spousal benefit amount will be slightly less if you claim your own benefit one year earlier than your FRA.
This article is intended for infor- mation purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guid- ance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) Foundation’s staff, trained and accred- ited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit
Regarding Medicare, whether you need to apply now depends on your current health insurance. If you have “creditable health insurance” coverage through an employer (either your own
a question, visit our website (amac- foundation.org/programs/social-securi- ty-advisory) or email us at ssadvisor@ amacfoundation.org.
However, if you change your mind and decide to wait to claim your Social Security benefits and you do not have other creditable coverage, you should still enroll in Medicare during your initial enrollment period by contacting your local Social Security office or by enrolling online at www.ssa.gov.
HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY!
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GOOD LUCK, HEALTH, AND HAPPINESS!
from Sven and Dash
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