Q. My husband and I both filed for early Social Security benefits. Now I am 77 and he is 83. My benefits were calculated using my employment history rather than his. But now I see there’s a huge discrepancy between those two methods of calculating, and if I went by my husband’s work history, I’d get $158 more each month. Can I do anything about this?

A. Yes. If the benefit on your spouse’s record is a higher amount, then you will get a combination of benefits based on your work history and his that equals that higher amount. You must contact your local Social Security office to make that change.

To learn more, call Social Security’s toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213 or visit the Social Security website.

Source: Social Security Administration