In addition, to be eligible for spouse's benefits, you must be one of the following: 62 years of age or older. Any age if you have a child who is younger than 16 in your care or has a disability and is entitled to benefits on your spouse's record.
If your ex-husband passes away, you may be eligible for survivor benefits based on his work record. The eligibility requirements for survivor benefits are similar to those for Social Security benefits, with a few key differences: Your marriage must have lasted at least ten years before the divorce was finalized.
You can claim even if your ex has remarried. You can claim even if your ex hasn't retired and isn't receiving Social Security benefits (as long as your ex is at least 62 and you've been divorced at least 2 years). Claiming won't reduce your ex's Social Security benefits or their current spouse's benefits.
With Social Security, the longer you wait to claim, the larger the amount of monthly payments you'll generally receive on your own work record. However, your benefit as an ex-spouse will not get any larger than half your ex's PIA. And, that is only if you wait until your FRA to claim.
you're eligible for some of your ex's Social Security
wives and widows. That means most divorced women collect their own Social Security while the ex is alive, but can apply for higher widow's rates when he dies.
If you've worked and paid taxes into the Social Security system for at least 10 years and have earned a minimum of 40 work credits, you can collect your own benefits as early as age 62.
This is good news when former spouses are not on good terms. Your ex cannot “block” you from drawing your spousal benefit. In fact, he probably won't even know if you are drawing off him unless he calls SSA to ask.
Have you heard about the Social Security $16,728 yearly bonus? There's really no “bonus” that retirees can collect. The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a specific formula based on your lifetime earnings to determine your benefit amount.
You must have been married to your ex-spouse for 10 years or more. If you've remarried, you can't collect benefits on your former spouse's record unless your later marriage ended by annulment, divorce, or death.
Laws Surrounding Pensions and Divorce
To gain access to a percentage of your pension, your spouse would have to specifically ask for their share at the time of the divorce – not at the time of your retirement. This is done via a court order called a qualified domestic relations order (QDRO).
Yes, you can. Notify the Social Security Administration that you were married more than once and may qualify for benefits on more than one spouse's earnings record.
Spouses and ex-spouses
Payments start at 71.5% of your spouse's benefit and increase the longer you wait to apply. For example, you might get: Over 75% at age 61.
A spouse can choose to retire as early as age 62, but doing so may result in a benefit as little as 32.5 percent of the worker's primary insurance amount. A spousal benefit is reduced 25/36 of one percent for each month before normal retirement age, up to 36 months.
Exactly how much in earnings do you need to get a $3,000 benefit? Well, you just need to have averaged about 70% of the taxable maximum. In our example case, that means that your earnings in 1983 were about $22,000 and increased every year to where they ended at about $100,000 at age 62.
If your spouse dies, do you get both Social Security benefits? You cannot claim your deceased spouse's benefits in addition to your own retirement benefits. Social Security only will pay one—survivor or retirement. If you qualify for both survivor and retirement benefits, you will receive whichever amount is higher.
To qualify to get $144 added back to your Social Security check, you can enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan that offers a Part B premium reduction or giveback benefit.
If you have a disability and are a surviving divorced spouse, you must meet the conditions below to qualify for benefits: Be at least age 50 but under 60. Were married to your ex-spouse at least 10 years. Have evidence of a finalized divorce.
The Bottom Line. If you were married to them for at least 10 years, you may be able to collect Social Security benefits based on your ex's work record. If you meet the requirements, you can receive benefits equal to as much as 50% of your ex's retirement benefit.
Social Security rules allow a qualifying former spouse to claim benefits based on the work history of a higher-earning ex. These benefits are worth up to 50% of that former spouse's Social Security benefit at full retirement age. However, if that former spouse dies, the benefit's value is worth up to 100%.
There is a catch: the spouse collecting benefits must be at least 62 or have a child who is either under the age of 16 or receiving Social Security disability benefits. Additionally, someone cannot receive spousal benefits until their spouse has filed for benefits, regardless of age.
The $1,000 per month rule is designed to help you estimate the amount of savings required to generate a steady monthly income during retirement. According to this rule, for every $240,000 you save, you can withdraw $1,000 per month if you stick to a 5% annual withdrawal rate.
You can start receiving your Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62. However, you are entitled to full benefits only when you reach your full retirement age. If you delay taking your benefits from your full retirement age up to age 70, your benefit amount will increase.