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.