How to find my ex-husband's Social Security benefit amount for spousal benefits comparison?

Good news - yes, you can find this out without contacting your ex! The SSA can tell you what your potential spousal benefits would be based on your ex-husband's record. You'll need to provide proof of the marriage (marriage certificate) and divorce (divorce decree), and his Social Security number if you have it. If you don't have his SSN, they can usually find his record with his full name and date of birth. Just call and ask about your potential divorced spouse benefits. They won't tell you his exact benefit amount, but they will tell you what YOUR benefit would be based on his record, which is what you need to know anyway.

Just to add some important information here - make sure you understand the basic qualifications for divorced spouse benefits: 1. Your marriage lasted at least 10 years (yours did at 19 years) 2. You're currently unmarried 3. You're at least 62 (which you will be soon) 4. Your ex is entitled to benefits (even if he hasn't filed yet, he must be eligible) 5. The benefit you're entitled to on your own work record is less than what you'd receive on his Also, if you claim at 62, you'll get reduced benefits - about 32.5% less than if you waited until your Full Retirement Age. This reduction applies whether you take your own benefit or the spousal benefit. At FRA, the spousal benefit would be 50% of your ex's PIA, but at 62 it's significantly less.

If you're having trouble reaching someone at SSA, try using Claimyr.com - it's a service that gets you through to a real SSA agent without the hours of waiting on hold. I used it when I was trying to sort out my own divorced spouse benefits situation last year. It worked great and saved me so much frustration. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once you get through to SSA, ask them to run a calculation showing what your benefit would be on your own record versus what it would be on your ex's record. They can do this comparison for you.

Yes it really does! I was skeptical too but it saved me hours of frustration. SSA phone system is completely broken right now with all the post-covid backlog. With Claimyr they call SSA for you and then connect you once they get through to a real person.

My sister went thru this last yr. She got her ex's benefit amount and it was WAY more than hers would have been. she was married 22 yrs to the guy. SSA told her everything, didnt have to talk to the ex at all. But yeah the wait times on phone are crazy bad now!!

She waited till 65 cuz she was still working part time. Said the extra amount was worth it. But everybody's situation is different ya know?

THE SSA WILL NOT GIVE YOU ACCURATE INFORMATION!!! I went through this last year and the first agent told me one thing, the second told me something completely different! Then when I finally got my benefits they were LESS than both amounts they quoted me!!! The system is BROKEN and they LIE to you! Go to a financial advisor who specializes in SS benefits and PAY for good advice. Dont trust what the SSA tells you!!!

One thing nobody mentioned - if your ex-husband has already filed for his benefits, and you take yours at 62, you'll automatically be given the higher of either your benefit or the divorced spouse benefit. They'll compare them and give you whichever is more. You don't have to choose between them - SSA will just pay you the higher amount. If he hasn't filed yet but is eligible, you can still get divorced spouse benefits if you've been divorced for at least 2 years (which you have). This is called the "independently entitled divorced spouse" provision.

my friend was in your exact situation!!! she said when she went to the SSA office in person they told her everything, but when she called they wouldnt give her any info about the ex. so maybe try going in person if u can?

Thanks for all the helpful advice everyone! I'm going to try calling SSA this week using that Claimyr service someone mentioned. If that doesn't work, I'll try to make an in-person appointment. I'll update once I find out if I qualify for the higher amount on my ex's record.

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who went through this exact situation about 3 years ago. I was also a teacher married to an engineer for 18 years, divorced for 12 years when I turned 62. The SSA was actually very helpful once I got through to them - they calculated both my benefit and the divorced spouse benefit and told me exactly which would be higher. In my case, the spousal benefit was about 40% more than my own would have been! One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned - make sure you have your ex's full legal name as it appears on his Social Security card, not just what he went by. My ex went by "Mike" but his legal name was "Michael" and that caused some initial confusion when they were trying to locate his record. Also, if he's changed jobs a lot or had periods of self-employment, his earnings record might be more complex, so be patient with the process. The hardest part was just getting through to someone at SSA, but once I did, they were knowledgeable and walked me through everything. Good luck!

One thing I'd recommend is creating a my.ssa.gov account if you don't already have one. While it won't show you your ex-husband's benefit information directly, it will give you a clear picture of your own estimated benefits at different claiming ages. This can be really helpful to have as a baseline when you're comparing with the divorced spouse benefit amounts that SSA calculates for you. Also, when you do get through to SSA, don't be afraid to ask them to repeat the numbers or explain their calculations. I've found that sometimes the first agent you talk to might not be as experienced with divorced spouse benefits, so if something doesn't sound right or if you're getting confusing information, it's totally okay to politely ask to speak with someone else or call back to get a second opinion. The key is getting accurate numbers so you can make the best decision for your financial future. Take notes during the call and ask them to mail you a written summary if possible - having everything documented will help you feel more confident about your choice.

I wanted to share something that might help with getting through to SSA more easily. Some local SSA offices allow you to schedule phone appointments instead of just calling the main number. You can find your local office on the SSA website and see if they offer this service - it's been a game changer for me because you get a scheduled callback at a specific time instead of waiting on hold for hours. Also, just to reinforce what others have said - the SSA representatives really can give you all the information you need without you having to contact your ex-husband at all. They'll calculate your potential divorced spouse benefit and compare it to your own benefit. The key things they'll need are proof of your marriage and divorce (which you mentioned having) and either his SSN or his full legal name and date of birth. One last tip: when you do talk to them, ask specifically about the "restricted application" strategy if you're considering waiting until full retirement age. Depending on your birth year, there might be additional claiming strategies available to you that could maximize your total benefits over time.

how do I find out my ex husbands ssa amount

Hi Rosemary! You're asking about the same thing as the original poster. The good news is you don't actually need to find out your ex-husband's exact SSA amount - what you need is to find out what YOUR divorced spouse benefit would be based on his record, which is different. Here's what you can do: 1. Call SSA directly (try calling right at 8 AM for shorter wait times) 2. Have ready: your marriage certificate, divorce decree, and your ex's Social Security number (or his full legal name and date of birth if you don't have his SSN) 3. Ask them to calculate your potential "divorced spouse benefit" and compare it to your own retirement benefit You need to have been married at least 10 years, be currently unmarried, and be at least 62 years old to qualify. SSA won't tell you his exact benefit amount, but they will tell you what YOUR benefit would be based on his earnings record - which is what you actually need to know for planning purposes. Some people mentioned using services like Claimyr to help get through to SSA faster, or checking if your local SSA office offers scheduled phone appointments instead of waiting on hold. Good luck!

I just wanted to add my perspective as someone who recently went through this process successfully! I was in a very similar situation - divorced for 15 years from my ex who had a much higher income throughout our 22-year marriage. The most important thing I learned is to be persistent but patient. My first call to SSA was frustrating because I got an agent who seemed new and couldn't give me clear answers. I called back the next day and got someone much more experienced who walked me through everything step by step. One detail that really helped speed up my call: I had not only my ex's SSN and full legal name, but also the approximate dates of his employment at his major employers. This helped them verify they had the right person's record more quickly, especially since he had worked for several different engineering firms over the years. The agent calculated that my divorced spouse benefit would be about 65% higher than my own benefit at age 62, and even higher if I waited until full retirement age. For someone with a teaching background married to a high earner, this difference can be life-changing for your retirement security. Don't give up if the first person you talk to can't help you properly - the quality of service really varies between agents. And definitely take advantage of that my.ssa.gov account to have your own benefit estimates ready for comparison. Good luck to everyone going through this process!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now and wanted to share what I've learned so far! I'm 61 and will be turning 62 in a few months, divorced for 8 years from my ex who was in tech while I worked as a part-time librarian for most of our 14-year marriage. Reading through all these experiences has been so incredibly helpful - especially hearing from other teachers and part-time workers who were married to higher earners. It's given me so much hope that the divorced spouse benefit might be significantly higher than my own. One thing I wanted to add that I discovered during my research: if you're still working part-time after claiming at 62, make sure you understand the earnings test limits. For 2025, you can earn up to $23,400 without any reduction in benefits, but they'll reduce your benefits by $1 for every $2 you earn above that limit until you reach full retirement age. I'm planning to use the Claimyr service that was mentioned earlier since I've had terrible luck getting through to SSA on my own. Has anyone else tried it recently? I'm curious if it's still working well with the current phone system issues. Thank you all for sharing such detailed and practical advice - this thread has been a goldmine of information for people in our situation!