Railroad Retirement Benefits and Social Security

[jim-alex]

I am new to this forum and have been trying to find information concerning the relationship of Railroad Retirement (RR) and Social Security (SS). I am 66 and will be receiving Railroad Retirement (RR) benefits but not until I choose to later, closer to 70 possibly. My spouse is 63 and eligible for her own SS. My thoughts are to maximize the combined monthly income and I have been reading about "file and suspend" from various sources. RR does not allow "file and suspend" whereas SS does.
My question is: can my my spouse file early for SS after she quits working, then I apply for "spousal benefits" from SS (? approx. 50% of whatever her decreased monthly is), then my spouse would "suspend" her benefits until some later time so she can maximize lifetime benefits? I would then receive some amount from SS under spousal benefit until I filed for RR, she would receive nothing until she "un-suspended" at some later age, possibly 70, and in the meantime she would continue to accrue credits by holding off?

Any thoughts?

[Mr. Knowitall]

If your wife applies for benefits based upon your "file and suspend" application, allowing her to get a higher benefit due to her reliance upon your combined work history, the higher amount would be the amount she receives. If she suspends her own application, she won't be receiving a benefit.