Can I get ex-spouse Social Security benefits at 70 after taking early retirement at 65?

I'm afraid the SSA representative was correct in your case. When you take your own retirement benefits first (especially reduced early retirement), you're only eligible for the higher of either your own benefit OR the spousal/ex-spousal benefit. You don't get both added together. The "spousal top-up" only happens if the spousal benefit would be higher than your own benefit. Here's why you're not qualifying: The maximum ex-spouse benefit you could receive would be 50% of your ex-wife's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) - which is what she'd get at her Full Retirement Age. Since you already collect $1,425/month on your own record, your ex-wife's PIA would need to be at least $2,850 for you to qualify for any additional amount. That's quite high - only about 5% of retirees have a PIA that high. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do at this point since you've already claimed your own benefits.

The same thing happened to me! The SSA reps don't always explain things clearly. I was told I could get ex-spouse benefits too, but when they ran the numbers, NOPE! Something about how once you take your own benefits early, you're stuck with that decision. The whole system is designed to confuse people!!

have you checked if you qualify for SSI? if your income is low enough that might help... my uncle got an extra $600 that way

When I was dealing with Social Security about my ex-spouse benefits, I got different answers every time I called the 800 number. I was getting so frustrated because I kept waiting on hold for 3+ hours only to get disconnected or get contradictory information. Finally, I tried this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) which connected me to an agent in about 15 minutes instead of hours. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. That way I actually got someone knowledgeable who explained my ex-spouse benefits correctly the first time. Saved me days of frustration.

I understand your confusion about ex-spouse benefits, as the rules can be quite complex. Here's what's happening in your situation: When the SSA rep mentioned "$1,400 × 2" they were referring to a calculation related to your ex-wife's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). For ex-spouse benefits, the maximum you could receive is 50% of your ex-wife's PIA. Since you're already receiving $1,425, your ex-wife's PIA would need to be at least $2,850 for you to receive any additional amount. You were correct in understanding that there's a "top-off" benefit. This occurs when your ex-spouse's record would generate a higher benefit than your own. In that case, SSA pays your benefit PLUS the difference to bring you up to the higher amount. However, they don't add two full benefits together. One important note: Since you took benefits before your Full Retirement Age (FRA), your own benefit was permanently reduced. Additionally, any spousal/ex-spousal benefits you might qualify for are also permanently reduced because of your early filing.

My friend just went thru this!!! The SS people kept saying different things each time she called. Spousal benefits are SUPER confusing especially with ex's. They don't make it easy AT ALL. Frustrating!!!

To answer your follow-up question about the $2,500 PIA - if your ex-wife's PIA is $2,500, then 50% of that would be $1,250. Since your own benefit is $1,425, you wouldn't receive any additional amount because your own benefit is already higher than what you'd get as an ex-spouse (50% of her PIA). One other thing to consider: Check if you might qualify for any other government benefits to supplement your income if you're struggling financially. Programs like SNAP (food stamps), Medicare Savings Programs (which help with Medicare costs), or energy assistance programs might help ease your financial situation.

Hey just wondering - does anyone know if the OP could have done something different? Like if he had waited until Full Retirement Age instead of taking benefits at 65? I'm trying to figure out what to do with my own situation and don't want to make the same mistake!