One more consideration: have you checked if you might qualify for spousal benefits instead of your own? Sometimes that can be higher depending on your situation. Also, filing at 62 permanently reduces any potential survivor benefits your spouse might receive if you pass away first. Worth discussing with a financial advisor who specializes in Social Security strategies before you pull the trigger.

Just wanted to add my experience - I filed at 62 last year and the amount on my statement was exactly what I received (before Medicare deductions). One tip: apply about 3 months before you want your first payment to start. The process was actually smoother than I expected, but it does take time to process. Also double-check your earnings record online before applying - I found an error from 2019 that would have cost me about $15/month for life if I hadn't caught it. The SSA corrected it pretty quickly once I provided my W-2. Good luck with your decision!

As someone who just went through a similar situation with my own divorce, I can confirm what others have said here. The key thing to remember is that Social Security looks at your marital status at the time you apply for benefits, not what happened in between. Your ex-wife can absolutely claim on your record since you were married 17 years (well over the 10-year requirement) and she's currently unmarried after her second divorce ended. The length of that second marriage doesn't matter at all - could have been 6 months or 6 years. However, given what you mentioned about her being a teacher with a pension, the Government Pension Offset (GPO) that Miguel mentioned could be a major factor. GPO can significantly reduce or even eliminate spousal benefits for people receiving government pensions. She really needs to get specific calculations from SSA to see if claiming on your record would even provide any benefit after GPO is applied. My advice: both of you should create accounts on ssa.gov to see your estimated benefits, and then she should definitely speak with an SSA representative about how GPO would affect her situation specifically.

I'm dealing with a somewhat similar situation right now. My ex-husband and I were married for 12 years before divorcing in 2018. He remarried in 2020, but I heard through mutual friends that he's now separated and likely heading for divorce. From what I understand based on the responses here, if his second marriage officially ends, I would still be eligible to claim on his record when I reach 62 (I'm 58 now) since our marriage exceeded 10 years and I've remained unmarried. Is that correct? It's honestly frustrating how complicated these rules are. I've been putting off learning about Social Security benefits because it seemed so confusing, but reading this thread has been really helpful in understanding the basics. The GPO issue doesn't apply to me since I work in the private sector, but I can see how that would complicate things significantly for teachers and other government employees. Thanks to everyone sharing their knowledge and experiences - it's much clearer now than trying to navigate the SSA website alone!

Since you're planning to continue working part-time while collecting, also be aware of how your earnings will be calculated for the earnings test. SSA counts income when it's earned, not when it's paid. So December bonuses count for December even if paid in January. Good news is that once you reach your Full Retirement Age, the earnings test no longer applies - you can earn any amount without reduction in benefits. For the year you reach FRA, there's a higher limit and a lower penalty rate for the months before your birthday month. Regarding application timing - I recommend applying approximately 2 months before you want benefits to begin. The SSA's processing times can vary dramatically depending on their workload and staffing.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who did exactly what you're planning! I took Medicare at 65 but delayed SS for about a year. The key things that worked for me: 1. Applied for SS benefits exactly 8 weeks before I wanted them to start - perfect timing 2. Set up automatic Medicare premium payments through my bank since I wouldn't have SS to deduct from 3. Created a my Social Security account online early to track my estimated benefits as they grew each month One thing I wish I'd known: if you're getting any kind of pension or 401k distributions while waiting, make sure those won't affect your future SS benefits calculation. Most won't, but it's worth double-checking. Also, since you mentioned reducing to 20 hours - that's actually a sweet spot for many people. You keep some income flowing while your SS benefits increase, plus you might qualify for some ACA marketplace subsidies if your employer plan gets too expensive. Good luck with your plan!

This is such valuable information about children's benefits! I'm the original poster and I'm so glad @Giovanni Rossi brought this up. I had been so focused on my own benefit eligibility that I completely overlooked what might be available for my kids. Just to clarify - when you say children can get benefits when their parent retires, does this apply even if the parent remarries? My ex got remarried last year, and I wasn't sure if that would affect anything for our children's potential benefits. Also, would my own remarriage impact my kids' eligibility in any way? I'm definitely going to organize all his employment and SSN information better now. It's reassuring to know that even though I missed out on the 10-year rule, my children still have these potential benefits available to them. Thank you for sharing your expertise!

As someone who's navigated similar Social Security questions, I want to echo what others have said about the 10-year rule being absolute - there truly are no exceptions for having children together when it comes to divorced spouse retirement benefits. I learned this the hard way when helping my sister with her situation. However, I'm really glad @Giovanni Rossi brought up the children's benefits aspect! This is something many people overlook. Your kids having potential access to benefits on their father's record is actually quite valuable, especially since your youngest will still be under 18 when your ex reaches early retirement age. One thing I'd add is to consider creating a simple file with all the relevant information - your ex's full name, SSN, dates of employment at major jobs, etc. You never know when circumstances might change, and having this organized will make any future applications much smoother. I've seen too many people scramble to find this information when they need it most. It's frustrating about missing the 10-year mark by such a small margin, but focusing on maximizing your own earnings record and knowing about your children's potential benefits gives you a clearer path forward for retirement planning.

I went through a similar situation last year and want to share a few additional tips that helped me! First, when ordering certified copies, get at least 2-3 of each document - you never know if you'll need extras for other purposes or if one gets damaged. Second, I created a simple checklist and kept copies of everything in a folder organized by marriage/relationship so I could easily find what the SSA rep was asking for. Also, if you're having trouble getting your first husband's death certificate because you're divorced, try contacting the funeral home that handled his arrangements - they sometimes keep records and can point you in the right direction for obtaining the official certificate. The whole process took me about 45 minutes once I had all my paperwork in order, so the prep work is definitely worth it!

As someone who works in retirement planning, I want to emphasize something important that hasn't been mentioned yet - timing matters significantly for your situation! Since you're eligible for both survivor benefits from your deceased ex-husband AND your own retirement benefits, you have some strategic options at FRA. You can actually file a "restricted application" to claim survivor benefits first while letting your own retirement benefit grow with delayed retirement credits until age 70 (earning 8% per year). Then at 70, you could switch to your own higher benefit if it exceeds the survivor amount. This strategy isn't available to everyone, but since you were born before 1954, you may qualify. Definitely ask the SSA rep about this when you go in - it could mean thousands of dollars in additional lifetime benefits! And yes, bring all those documents everyone mentioned - they'll need to verify your entire marital history to determine all your options.