Can I claim Social Security benefits from TWO ex-husbands after remarrying at 56?

you can't claim on your exes if youre remarried, thats the rule. only widows can do that

Oh no! Are you sure? That's really disappointing news. I thought there was an exception if you remarry after age 60, but I got remarried at 56. Does that mean I'm completely out of luck?

Actually, there's a lot of confusion about this topic. The rules are different for divorced spouse benefits versus survivor benefits. Here's what applies to your situation:1. For divorced spouse benefits (which is what you'd be eligible for since both ex-husbands are presumably still living), you cannot collect on an ex-spouse's record if you've remarried, regardless of when you remarried.2. The \

Thank you for the clear explanation. That's disappointing but good to know now rather than be surprised later. So there's absolutely no way to access either of my ex-husbands' benefits while still married to my current husband?

That's correct. While still married to your current husband, you cannot access benefits based on either ex-husband's record. Your options will be limited to either your own benefit based on your work history or a spousal benefit based on your current husband's record (up to 50% of his full retirement amount if you wait until your Full Retirement Age).The only scenario where you could access ex-spouse benefits would be if your current marriage ends (either through death or divorce). Then you could claim on either ex-husband's record (choosing the higher benefit), as long as you meet all other requirements.

I had almost the EXACT same situation!!! First marriage 11 years, second one 9 years (just short of the 10-year requirement), and I remarried at 58. I was DEVASTATED when I learned I couldn't claim on my first ex's record because of remarrying before 60. If I'd known, I might have waited just those extra 2 years before remarrying my current husband who I love dearly but has a much lower earnings record than my first ex.It's so frustrating that this isn't common knowledge!!! The SSA doesn't exactly advertise these rules. My benefit is about $1,450/month but I could have gotten around $2,100 if I'd been able to claim on my first husband's record. That's a HUGE difference in retirement.

That's exactly what I'm worried about! My benefit will probably be around $1,600, but my first ex-husband was an engineer and my second was in management, so their benefits would be much higher. This is a tough pill to swallow. Did you look into any other options? Any loopholes?

No loopholes that I could find - believe me, I tried! The SSA rep I spoke with was actually really sympathetic but said the rules are pretty black and white on this. If you remarry before 60, you lose access to ex-spouse benefits permanently (unless the new marriage ends). It's just one of those things no one tells you about when you're making life decisions. I would have still married my husband, but might have just waited those extra 2 years!

this is why the govmint needs to simplify there rules!! how is anyone suppose to plan when theres all these werid exceptions and rules that nobody tells you?? its all so confusing on purpose i think

100% AGREE! The whole system is designed to be confusing so people don't get what they're entitled to. I spent 3 WEEKS trying to get through to SSA on the phone about a similar situation with my sister's benefits. Every time I called, I'd wait for 2+ hours and then get disconnected. INFURIATING!!! 😡

I had the same phone problems but recently discovered a service called Claimyr that got me through to a Social Security agent in under 20 minutes. Changed everything for me. They basically hold your place in line and call you when an agent is available. Saved me so much frustration when I was sorting out my divorced spouse benefits. You can see how it works at claimyr.com or check out their demo video at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - worth it for complicated situations like this.

To add some clarity to your specific question about multiple ex-spouses: If you weren't currently married and were eligible to claim on ex-spouse records, you would indeed be able to choose the higher of the two ex-spouse benefits (since both marriages lasted over 10 years). You don't get both, but you can select the highest one available to you.You might want to request your Social Security statement at ssa.gov to see your projected benefit based on your own work record. Then you and your current husband should discuss maximizing your combined household benefits through strategic claiming. Sometimes it makes sense for the lower-earning spouse to claim earlier while the higher earner delays to age 70.

Thank you for this additional information. I'll definitely check my statement. My current husband is actually 5 years younger than me, so we'll need to figure out a claiming strategy that works for our age gap too.

idk if this helps but my mom was in kinda similar situation and she got divorced from her 3rd husband right before retirement just so she could claim on her 1st husband's record (they were married 22 yrs and he made way more $$). They still live together and everything, just not legally married. Not saying you should do that but some people do stuff like that for the benefits.

This is actually more common than people realize! I know several couples who've done similar things with their living arrangements. The system almost encourages this kind of

I should point out that while people do make these kinds of arrangements, there can be other significant financial and legal implications beyond Social Security. Marriage provides important legal protections regarding inheritance, medical decisions, and potentially shared pensions or health insurance. Any decision to divorce for benefit purposes should be made with full consideration of ALL financial and legal consequences, ideally with professional guidance.

So if ur exes die can u get survivors benefits from them since u remarried after 50?

Close, but not quite correct. The rule is that you can receive survivor benefits from deceased ex-spouses if your remarriage occurred after you turned 60 (or age 50 if you are disabled). Since the original poster remarried at 56 and isn't disabled (based on the information provided), she wouldn't qualify for survivor benefits from either ex-husband if they pass away, unless her current marriage ends before that happens.

Thank you all for the information. This is disappointing but at least now I understand how it works. I'll focus on maximizing my benefit with my current husband and look into our combined claiming strategy. Really wish I'd known these rules beforehand!

dont feel bad, nobody knows this stuff until its to late! my freind didnt know she could of got her dead husbands SS cause she remarried to early and now shes stuck with way less money every month. the whole system is rigged