Can SSDI recipients get auxiliary benefits from ex-spouse without reducing FRA benefits?

You hit the jackpot! You can get up to 50% of your ex's benefit amount if you were married 10+ years. It WON'T reduce your future retirement benefit at all, and you'll still get your full benefit at FRA. They'll basically pay you the higher of your SSDI or the ex-spouse benefit. If his benefit is higher, they'll pay your SSDI amount plus the difference. Just make sure you bring your marriage certificate and divorce decree to the appointment.

I don't think the previous commenter is completely correct. With SSDI, what you can get is the higher of your SSDI benefit OR up to 50% of your ex's PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), not both added together. Since your ex was a high earner, there's a good chance his 50% would be higher than your current SSDI. This is called the dual entitlement rule. The system will automatically give you whichever is higher, but you wouldn't get both full amounts combined.

my sister went thru this last year. they dont add them together!!!! u get the bigger one only. but its still worth it if his benefit is bigger than yours.

What you're being offered is likely divorced spouse benefits, which you can receive if you were married 10+ years and have been divorced for at least 2 years. Here's the important part - claiming these auxiliary benefits now will NOT affect what you get at full retirement age. At FRA, your disability benefit automatically converts to retirement benefits at the same amount. Since your ex was a high earner, there's a good chance that 50% of his benefit could be higher than your current SSDI. If that's the case, SSA will pay your SSDI amount and then supplement it with enough of the divorced spouse benefit to reach the higher amount. It's not two full separate payments. Example: If your SSDI is $1,340 and 50% of your ex's benefit is $1,800, you would receive a total of $1,800 ($1,340 from your SSDI plus $460 from the divorced spouse benefit).

They told me I could get benefits from my ex too but then when I went to the appointment they said I didn't qualify because I had remarried before 60! Make sure you haven't remarried or they will just waste your time like they did mine!!!!

about ur ssn on dark web - freeze ur credit reports right away!! i had same thing happen and someone tried to get a mortgage in my name!!!! go to experian, equifax and transunion websites and put freezes on all 3!!!!

I had the WORST time trying to call Social Security about my ex-spouse benefits. Kept getting busy signals or disconnected after waiting 2+ hours. I finally discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at SSA in under 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU With something complicated like ex-spouse benefits + SSDI, you really need to talk to someone who knows what they're doing. My local office gave me completely wrong info at first.

Also, about your SSN on the dark web - while freezing your credit is important, you should also create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov if you haven't already. This prevents someone else from creating one with your stolen information. You can also set up extra security measures there.

I think with SSDI u can get divorced spouse benefits at ANY age not just retirement age. Normal retirement people have to wait till 62 but SSDI is different rules I think???

Quick correction to my earlier comment - I misunderstood how the benefits work. You don't get both full amounts, but rather the higher of the two (your SSDI or a portion of your ex's benefit). Sorry for any confusion!