EU settlement scheme for Irish citizens living in uk

Hello everyone, firstly apologies if this has been asked before but I couldn’t find any information on it.
I’m an Irish citizen living in Uk for the past 3 years I’m married to a non EU.
I understand That the Irish do not have to apply for settled status but I want to apply for it due to my spouse being non EU.

my question is if I apply now will I be granted settled status automatically even though I’ve been residing here for 3 years only ?
Or is it better to wait till I’ve completed my 5 years ?
I want to apply for an indefinite leave to remain in the future, how many years in total do I have to wait to apply for it if I apply for settled status? Any help would be highly appreciated, thank you

Irish citizens are considered automatically 'settled' from date of arrival in the UK. There is no ILR you apply for after 5 years residence. Once you have been resident for 5 years, you can apply for British citizenship directly, nothing else is needed.

Thank you so much for your reply,
How will I prove my 5 years residency if I don’t have a permanent residence card or proof of settled status?

P60s or other similar documents.