Can I claim Social Security ex-spouse benefits with 30 credits while working for government without SS taxes?

Yes, you can qualify for divorced spouse benefits based on your ex-husband's record! Since you were married for more than 10 years (26 years in your case) and haven't remarried, you meet those requirements. You don't need 40 credits yourself to claim on an ex-spouse's record. However, there are two major considerations in your situation: 1. At age 65, you'd receive approximately 86.7% of what you'd get at your full retirement age (which is likely 66 and 4 months if you were born in 1960). 2. The Government Pension Offset (GPO) will likely reduce your benefits significantly. The GPO reduces spouse/survivor benefits by two-thirds of your government pension amount. For example, if your monthly government pension is $1,200, your Social Security ex-spouse benefit would be reduced by $800.

yep ur gonna get hit hard by GPO. take whatever ur getting from the govt pension, multiply by 2/3, and thats whats gonna get subtracted from ur ex spousal benefit. most people with decent govt pensions end up with $0 from SS spouse benefits bc of this. sorry to be the bearer of bad news but thats how it works.... SS really SCREWS govt workers!!!!

To calculate the actual amount, you need to figure out the base benefit first, then apply the GPO. The ex-spousal benefit is normally 50% of your ex's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) at your full retirement age. Since you're applying at 65, there's a reduction. For example: - If your ex's benefit is $2000/month - Your base spousal benefit would be $1000/month at FRA - At age 65, it would be reduced to about $867/month - Then GPO: If your govt pension is $2800, 2/3 of that is $1867 - $867 - $1867 = $0 (benefits can't go negative) In your case, with a $2800 pension, the GPO reduction ($1867) would likely eliminate your entire benefit. However, it's still worth applying because your ex might have a very high benefit that could leave you with something after the GPO reduction. The SSA can calculate the exact amounts for your specific situation.

You should definitely still apply!!! My sister was in almost IDENTICAL situation (govt job, ex-spouse benefits) and she still gets $189 a month after all the reductions. Not a fortune but it's something! Every case is different and you never know till you apply.

I went through this whole process last year. The frustrating part was actually getting through to someone at SSA who understood both divorced spouse benefits AND the GPO rules. I spent weeks trying to get accurate information. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an SSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I actually spoke with a knowledgeable agent, they were able to calculate everything correctly and tell me exactly what I'd receive after the GPO reduction. Turns out my government pension didn't completely eliminate my ex-spouse benefit!

I think everyone is missing something important here - the fact that you have 30 credits matters! Your own benefit might be tiny, but if you have 30 credits you're closer to the 40 needed for your own benefit. Have you thought about working somewhere that pays into Social Security for a couple more years to get those last 10 credits? You could earn 4 credits per year, so just 2.5 years of work would qualify you for your own benefit. Might be worth it depending on your work history.

My aunt had almost the exact same situation!!! She worked for the county for 22 years and was married 15 years before divorcing. She thought she'd get half her ex's benefit but ended up with almost nothing because of GPO. It's so unfair that government workers get penalized like this!

One additional point - even if your ex-spouse benefit is completely offset by GPO now, you should still file and establish eligibility. If your situation changes in the future (like if your pension amount changes), you might become eligible for some amount. Also, survivor benefits (if your ex passes away) are calculated differently - they're 100% of what your ex received rather than 50%, so you might qualify for survivor benefits in the future even if you don't qualify for spousal benefits now. Just be sure to bring as much documentation as possible when you apply: marriage certificate, divorce decree, information about your government pension, your birth certificate, and Social Security numbers for both you and your ex-spouse (if you have it).