Can I claim ex-spouse Social Security benefits with multiple marriages and a higher-earning ex?

Thank you for explaining this. So I need to wait until I'm not married anymore before I can claim on my first ex's record? And then I'd get the difference between my benefit and half of his? So if half of his is $23,000, I'd get an extra $4,000 per year? This is all so confusing.

That's actually incorrect. You cannot receive divorced spouse benefits if you remarry. The SSA website clearly states: "If you remarry, you generally cannot collect benefits on your former spouse's record unless your later marriage ends (whether by death, divorce, or annulment)." Your sister may be receiving survivor benefits from a deceased ex-spouse, which have different rules, or there might be another explanation.

Is this legit? Seems too good to be true with how impossible it is to reach SSA these days. I waited 3 hours on hold last week only to get disconnected right when someone answered!!!

It's definitely real. My sister-in-law actually recommended it to me after she used it. The service just helps you skip the phone queue. The SSA agents are the real SSA employees, so you get the same official information you would normally.

Thank you for laying this out so clearly. I didn't even consider survivor benefits from my second husband since we were only married 7 years. My third husband's benefit is actually lower than mine, so I doubt survivor benefits would help there. It sounds like I need to wait until I'm no longer married and then apply for the divorced spouse benefit from my first husband since his benefit is substantially higher than mine. Is there any paperwork I should prepare in advance?

You're right, I might have confused numbers. I think the $46,000 might be his annual pension plus Social Security combined. I just know his benefit is substantially higher than mine because he worked in management while I had many years out of the workforce raising our children. Thanks for catching that - this whole system is so complicated!

You're right that there are inequities in how benefits accumulate, especially for caregivers. The divorced spouse benefit is actually meant to help address this by allowing you to claim up to 50% of your ex's benefit if it's higher than your own. Have you filed the specific application for divorced spouse benefits (not just regular retirement)? It's a separate process, and many SSA representatives don't automatically check for this eligibility.

That's great advice. I think I have all the documents somewhere, but I should probably organize them now. I have my divorce decree from my first marriage and the death certificate for my second husband. Would I need anything else to prove the timeline?

You'll also want to have all marriage certificates. And if your name changed at any point, make sure you have documentation of those changes too. The SSA will want to connect all the dots in your identity and marriage history. Having your first ex-husband's Social Security number is also extremely helpful (though not absolutely required).

That's not possible under Social Security rules. You can be eligible for benefits from multiple spouses/ex-spouses, but you'll only receive the highest amount you're eligible for. Your mother might have received benefits sequentially (first from one ex, then switched to another when it was more advantageous) or she might have received benefits from one ex-spouse and then survivor benefits after another ex passed away, but she wouldn't receive multiple benefits simultaneously.

I did this last year after my husband passed. The local office was backed up for months, so I made a phone appointment using Claimyr to skip the wait. The agent walked me through all my options based on my marriage history. In-person is good if you have lots of documents they need to see, but phone worked fine for my initial application. They just needed me to fax/upload the supporting documents afterward.