A divorced spouse can receive up to 50% of an ex-spouse's Social Security benefits if the marriage lasted at least 10 years and the divorced spouse is divorced at least two years, unmarried and at least 62. The benefit doesn't increase existing payments or reduce the ex-spouse's benefits.
Benefits For Your Spouse
Even if they have never worked under Social Security, your spouse may be eligible for benefits if they are at least 62 years of age and you are receiving retirement or disability benefits.
Any person with a previous marriage that ended in divorce is eligible if the ex-spouse was fully insured for Social Security benefits and the marriage lasted at least 10 years. A person with a previous marriage that ended in widowhood is also eligible if the spouse was fully insured.
If, however, you decide to wait until full retirement age to apply as a divorced spouse, your benefit will be equal to half of your ex-spouse's full retirement amount or disability benefit. The same rules apply for a deceased former spouse.
For a spouse who is not entitled to benefits on his or her own earnings record, this reduction factor is applied to the base spousal benefit, which is 50 percent of the worker's primary insurance amount.
To qualify for spouse's benefits, you must be one of the following: 62 years of age or older. Any age and have in your care a child younger than age 16, or who has a disability and is entitled to receive benefits on your spouse's record.
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. They will be able to tell you which record provides the higher payment and set your benefit accordingly.
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.
you're eligible for some of your ex's Social Security
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.
What Happens If I Remarry? Generally, you cannot collect benefits on your ex-spouse's work record unless your second marriage ends by annulment, divorce, or death. Your SSI benefits payments may change based on your new spouse's record.
If you've worked and paid Social Security taxes for 10 years or more, you'll get a monthly benefit based on that work.
In order to qualify for Social Security spousal benefits, you must be at least 62 years old and your spouse must also be collecting his or her own benefits. Additionally, if you are the higher earner, your spouse can apply to collect spousal benefits based on your work record.
Whether you can make this switch is determined by whether your spouse is already receiving benefits. If your spouse is not receiving any retirement benefits yet, then you could technically take your regular Social Security benefit as early as age 62.
If you re-married and your second spouse is deceased, you qualify to claim benefits from either your first spouse if that marriage lasted at least 10 years, or your second spouse if you were married at least 9 months before they died.
If you qualify for your own retirement benefit and a spouse's benefit, we always pay your own benefit first. You cannot receive spouse's benefits unless your spouse is receiving his or her retirement benefits (except for divorced spouses).
There is no hard and fast rule on this. Generally, a claim can be brought at any time until a consent order is put in place. However, waiting too long after your divorce could make obtaining a share of your former spouse's retirement benefits more difficult, or even impossible.
The maximum benefit depends on the age you retire. For example, if you retire at full retirement age in 2024, your maximum benefit would be $3,822. However, if you retire at age 62 in 2024, your maximum benefit would be $2,710. If you retire at age 70 in 2024, your maximum benefit would be $4,873.
If you remarry after age 60, you can still receive survivor benefits based on your former spouse's record. However, if your new spouse is also collecting Social Security benefits and you would receive a higher amount based on the new spouse's work record, you will receive the higher amount.
Filing for Social Security at age 62 could also end up making sense financially if you're worried you won't end up living a very long life. While you'll shrink your benefits on a monthly basis, by getting to collect that money sooner, you might end up with a higher amount of lifetime benefits.
How much Social Security does a divorced spouse get? A divorced spouse can receive up to 50% of their ex-spouse's full retirement benefit. You must wait until you reach full retirement age if you want to claim your full benefit. For most people, full retirement age for Social Security is between 66 and 67.
No waiting period is required if you were previously entitled to disability benefits or to a period of disability under § 404.320 any time within 5 years of the month you again became disabled.
The full retirement age is 66 if you were born from 1943 to 1954. The full retirement age increases gradually if you were born from 1955 to 1960 until it reaches 67. For anyone born 1960 or later, full retirement benefits are payable at age 67.
Your first step in maximizing your Social Security benefits should be to visit the Social Security Administration (SSA) website. If you know your ex's Social Security number, you can check for his or her benefits as well. Or you can ask your ex about his or her benefits if the two of you are on good terms.
If you are married and you and your spouse have worked and earned enough credits individually, you will each get your own Social Security benefit.