Can I claim Social Security benefits from ex-husband who's still alive after remarrying?

Unfortunately, your remarriage is going to be the deciding factor here. When you remarry, you generally lose eligibility for ex-spouse benefits from a previous marriage while that new marriage remains in effect. If your current marriage had ended (either by death, divorce, or annulment), you could potentially qualify for benefits on your ex-husband's record if you meet all other criteria - but not while you're currently married.

To clarify the rules precisely: If you remarry, you cannot claim ex-spouse benefits from a previous marriage while your current marriage is intact. The 10-year marriage duration requirement is only one of several criteria - you must also be unmarried currently to qualify for ex-spouse benefits. The only exception is for survivor benefits (when an ex-spouse dies) - if you remarried after age 60, you could still qualify for survivor benefits from a deceased ex. But since your ex is still alive, this exception doesn't apply to you.

This is devastating news. I was really counting on being able to claim on his record. So just to confirm - even though we were married 12 years, because I'm currently remarried, there's absolutely no way for me to claim on his record while he's alive? What if my current husband passes away someday - could I claim on my ex's record then?

Yes, your own retirement benefits are always available to you regardless of your marital status. Your current marriage doesn't affect your eligibility for benefits based on your own work record. Let me clarify the full picture of your options: 1. You can claim your own retirement benefits at any point from age 62-70 (with reduction for filing before your FRA) 2. As a currently married person, you can potentially claim spousal benefits on your current husband's record once he files (though your own $1,800 might be higher) 3. You cannot claim ex-spouse benefits while currently married 4. If your current marriage ends, you could then potentially claim ex-spouse benefits if they're higher than your own

SSA used to send out those paper statements every year with all your estimated amounts but they stopped doing that to save money i think. Now you gotta make an account on the ssa.gov website to see your benefit estimates. Its called "my Social Security" account and shows different amounts for different ages.

I went through a similar nightmare trying to access my account last month. After getting disconnected 12 times, I discovered a service called Claimyr that got me through to an SSA agent in under 20 minutes. They basically keep calling SSA for you until they get through, then connect you. I was skeptical at first but it worked really well - saved me hours of frustration. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU and their site is claimyr.com if you need to get through to check your benefit amounts or ask about your specific situation.

my aunt got remarried after her divorce but her 2nd husband died and then she WAS able to get benefits from her first husband (who was still alive). So I think the poster might be able to get her ex's benefits if something happened to her current husband. kind of a morbid thought but just sharing what happened in my family