Yes you can. As long as the marriage lasted 10 yrs or longer, you can collect. This will not change the benefit your ex will receive.
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.
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 Benefits for Divorced Women
Thus, divorced women receive Social Security benefits either as retired workers, divorced spouses, or surviving divorced spouses. They can also receive widow benefits from a prior marriage that ended in widowhood.
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.
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.
The first exception, which can be deemed as the Social Security spousal benefits loophole, works where an individual who remarries at 60 or later may still be entitled to Social Security survivors' benefits if the second marriage ends before the death of the first spouse.
Each survivor benefit can be up to 100% of your benefit. The amount may be reduced if the women start benefits before their own full retirement age, but they don't have to share — the amount isn't reduced because you've had more than one spouse.
Usually, you can't get surviving spouse's benefits if you remarry before age 60 (or age 50 if you have a disability). But remarriage after age 60 (or age 50 if you have a disability) won't prevent you from getting benefit payments based on your former spouse's work.
If the ex-spouse passed away without leaving a valid will, the distribution of their assets is governed by the state's intestacy laws. In most states, a divorced spouse is not considered an heir under intestacy laws and is not entitled to any of their ex's property.
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.
A representative at your local Social Security office can provide estimates of the benefit you can receive as a divorced spouse, based on your former wife's or husband's earnings record. Call your local office or Social Security's national customer service line (800-772-1213) to make an appointment.
No, under California law, if you are divorced, you are not considered a widow or widower when your former spouse passes away.
The $22,924 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook. If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings.
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.
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.
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.
Social Security benefits for a divorced spouse are calculated based on the ex-spouse's earnings record or their own earnings record, depending on which one is higher. You're entitled to half of your ex's benefits if you start collecting once you reach your full retirement age (FRA).
If you are age 62, unmarried, and divorced from someone entitled to Social Security retirement or disability benefits, you may be eligible to receive benefits based on his or her record. To be eligible, you must have been married to your ex-spouse for 10 years or more.
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.