Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I'm definitely going to try to get through to a Technical Expert since it seems like they're the only ones who really understand these complicated cases. I'll plan on getting some increase but not the full 50% I was hoping for. At least I know now why I was getting such different answers. I'll update after I speak with someone who can do the actual calculations for my specific situation.

I'm a Social Security Administration representative and want to clarify the correct information about divorced spousal benefits since there's been some confusion in this thread. When you file for divorced spousal benefits after your Full Retirement Age (which you will be at 69), the divorced spousal portion itself won't be reduced for age. However, since you took your own retirement benefit early at 62, that portion remains permanently reduced. Here's how it works: You'll receive the HIGHER of either (1) your current reduced benefit, or (2) up to 50% of your ex-husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). You don't get both benefits - it's not additive. The key calculation is comparing 50% of his PIA to your current reduced benefit amount. If 50% of his PIA is higher than what you're currently receiving, you'll get that higher amount. If your current benefit is already close to or exceeds 50% of his PIA, you may see little to no increase. For accurate calculations specific to your situation, I recommend scheduling an appointment at your local SSA office or requesting to speak with a Technical Expert who can access your earnings records and provide exact figures. The online my Social Security account at ssa.gov can also provide benefit estimates.

To summarize what you should do: 1. Continue receiving your current benefit until your husband retires 2. When your husband files for his benefits, contact SSA (ideally make an appointment) to apply for your spousal benefit 3. Bring your marriage certificate, both birth certificates, and both Social Security cards to the appointment 4. You'll then receive your own $980 benefit plus a spousal add-on of approximately $570 (assuming your husband's benefit is $3,100) 5. The total will be $1,550, which is exactly 50% of your husband's benefit And just to be clear - this isn't SSI, this is regular Social Security retirement with a spousal benefit component.

One thing I'd add is to keep track of your husband's exact filing date because your spousal benefit increase should start the month after he files. Sometimes there can be a delay in processing, so if you don't see the adjustment in your payment within 2-3 months, follow up with SSA. Also, when you do contact them to apply for the spousal benefit, ask them to confirm the exact amount you'll receive - it's always good to have that in writing so you know what to expect in your monthly payment.

One more important thing to check during your appointment: make sure they've properly accounted for any Social Security-covered work you might have done in addition to your non-covered government job. Sometimes people have mixed employment histories with both covered and non-covered work, which can affect how the GPO is applied. If you have at least 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security in addition to your government work, you might be exempt from GPO entirely. This is rare but worth confirming.

I'm dealing with a similar GPO situation with my teacher's pension. One thing I learned from my local SSA office is that even if you're denied spousal benefits now, it's worth keeping track of any changes that might affect your eligibility later. For example, if your wife's Social Security benefit increases significantly due to future COLA adjustments, or if your pension amount changes, the GPO calculation could shift in your favor. Also, when you reach your own full retirement age, you might want to compare whether your own Social Security benefit (if you have one from those 7 years of private sector work) would be better than continuing to pursue spousal benefits. The appointment is definitely worth keeping - they can run all these scenarios for you.

One more thing to be aware of - if your father was receiving Social Security and your mother is still living, she may be eligible for survivor benefits if her own benefit amount is less than his. She should contact SSA about this once everything has settled down a bit.

I'm so sorry for what you're going through with your father. The community has given you excellent advice already. Just to add one more practical tip - when you do call SSA to report his passing, have his Social Security number, date of birth, and death certificate information ready. They'll ask for these details. Also, keep a record of when you called, who you spoke with, and any confirmation numbers they give you. This documentation can be helpful if any issues come up later. Sending you and your family strength during this difficult time.

One final point about the monthly test versus annual test: After your first year on benefits, Social Security will automatically switch you to the annual test. You don't need to contact them for this change. So in 2025, they'll use the monthly test, and in 2026, they'll automatically use the annual test. For 2025, as long as you stay under $1,840 in January, you should be fine. For the rest of 2025, if you've fully retired, you won't have any earnings to worry about anyway. But if you do any part-time work later in 2025, you'll need to stay under the monthly limit for any month you work.

I'm dealing with a similar situation as a newcomer to Social Security benefits! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. One thing I want to add that might help other newcomers: I called my former HR department to get a written breakdown of which hours were worked in which month, since my final paycheck also spanned two months. They were actually really helpful and provided a detailed breakdown that I can keep for my records. It might be worth reaching out to your HR department too, Natasha, just to have that documentation from the employer side as well as your own records. This whole earnings test thing is way more complicated than I expected when I first applied for benefits!