Can I switch to ex-husband's higher Social Security benefit at 68 if we were married 10+ years?

Yes, you can potentially claim ex-spousal benefits since you were married over 10 years. You would be eligible for up to 50% of his full retirement age benefit. However, because you already filed for your own benefits early, you're subject to the 'deemed filing' rules. This means SSA will only pay you the higher of either your own reduced benefit or the ex-spousal benefit. If 50% of his FRA amount is higher than what you currently receive, you'll get the difference added to your current benefit. And no, this won't reduce his benefit or require notifying him - SSA handles everything confidentially.

I went thru the same thing! Got benefits at 62 then found out my ex was getting WAY more. Called SS and got an extra $320/month! They backdated it 6 mths too. Def worth checking into

If you're already receiving your own retirement benefit, you must contact SSA to apply for the ex-spouse benefit - it's not automatic. You'll need your divorce decree, marriage certificate, and your ex's Social Security number (if you have it). If not, they can usually find him in their system with his full name and date of birth. Remember that the maximum you can receive is 50% of his PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), and that's only if you had waited until your FRA. Since you claimed early, your spousal benefit will be permanently reduced as well. The good news is that if you qualify for additional benefits, SSA can sometimes provide up to 6 months of retroactive payments.

My sister tried this last year and got denied becuz her husband remarried. Does your ex have a new wife? That might affect things

I spent THREE DAYS trying to reach someone at Social Security about this exact situation!!! Their phone system is a NIGHTMARE and I kept getting disconnected after waiting for hours. Finally I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real SSA agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - it was seriously worth it to not waste any more days trying to get through. The agent confirmed I was eligible for additional benefits on my ex's record and helped process it right away.

Sorry to jump in with my situation, but this thread is super helpful! I'm 64 and divorced after 22 years marriage. My ex started his SS last year. I haven't filed for my own benefit yet - would I get more by waiting until 67 for my own or taking his 50% now? My PIA would be about $2100 if I wait until my full retirement age.

Update: I finally got through to SSA this morning! The representative confirmed I'm eligible for additional benefits based on my ex-husband's record. They're going to add about $270 to my monthly payment going forward. They also said they'd backdate it for 6 months. Thank you all for your help - I never would have known to ask about this without this community!

I don't understand why Social Security makes these rules so complicated!!! Nobody ever tells you about these benefits until it's almost too late. Why don't they automatically check if you qualify for ex-spouse benefits when you apply? The whole system is designed to keep us from getting our full benefits IMO.

This is such valuable information! I'm 65 and in a similar situation - divorced after 13 years, started collecting my own benefits at 63. My ex just filed for his benefits and I had no idea I could potentially get additional money from his record. Reading through everyone's experiences here gives me hope that I might be able to increase my monthly payment too. I'm definitely going to call SSA next week to ask about this. It's frustrating that they don't automatically review these things, but at least now I know what questions to ask. Thank you all for sharing your stories - this community is so helpful for navigating these confusing Social Security rules!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm 66 and just discovered I might be eligible for ex-spouse benefits. I was married for 15 years before divorcing in 2010, and I started collecting my own Social Security at 62 due to a layoff. My ex-husband is 67 and has been collecting for about a year now. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like I should definitely call SSA to ask about this. I'm encouraged by Samantha's success story and the fact that several people here got additional monthly payments. One question though - does anyone know if there's a time limit on when you can apply for these divorced spouse benefits? I'm worried I might have waited too long since my ex has already been collecting for a year.

I'm new to this community but wanted to share that I'm in a very similar situation! I'm 69, started collecting at 62, and was married to my ex for 11 years before divorcing in 2008. He's 70 and has been collecting his full benefit for a few years now. Reading through all these success stories is giving me so much hope - I had absolutely no idea that divorced spouse benefits were even a thing! My monthly payment is only about $1,200 right now, so even an extra $200-300 would make a huge difference in my budget. I'm definitely going to call SSA this week armed with all the great advice from this thread. Thank you everyone for being so open about your experiences - it's amazing how much we can help each other navigate this confusing system!

Just wanted to add another perspective for anyone reading this thread! I'm a former SSA employee (retired in 2020 after 28 years) and I can confirm that divorced spouse benefits are one of the most underutilized benefits in the system. The rules can be confusing, but here are the key points: 1) You must have been married at least 10 years, 2) You must be currently unmarried, 3) Your ex-spouse must be entitled to retirement or disability benefits, and 4) You must be at least 62. The benefit is calculated as up to 50% of your ex's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), but if you filed early for your own benefits, both will be reduced. SSA will automatically pay you the higher amount. One tip: if you don't have your ex's SSN, having their full name and date of birth is usually sufficient for SSA to locate their record. Also, this benefit is completely independent - your ex will never know you applied, and it won't affect their payment in any way. Good luck to everyone pursuing this!

This thread has been incredibly enlightening! I'm 63 and divorced after 14 years of marriage. I started collecting my own Social Security at 62 due to health issues, and I'm currently receiving about $1,350 monthly. My ex-husband is 65 and just started collecting his benefits this year. Reading through everyone's experiences here, especially Samantha's success story and the detailed advice from Yara (the former SSA employee), I realize I should definitely look into divorced spouse benefits. I had no idea this was even possible! The fact that it's completely confidential and won't affect his payments makes me feel much better about pursuing this. I'm going to gather my divorce papers and call SSA next week. It's amazing how supportive this community is - thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences. It gives me hope that I might be able to improve my financial situation too!