How to find out my ex-spouse's Social Security benefit amount - any legal way?

You actually don't need to know what your ex is receiving. When you apply for benefits, you can apply for both your own retirement benefits and divorced spouse benefits simultaneously. SSA will compare the two and pay you whichever amount is higher. They have access to your ex's earnings record and benefit amount - you don't need to provide that information yourself.

my sister went thru this last year. SSA needs ex's name and SSN if u have it, and marriage certificate. they figure out rest. they wont tell YOU what he gets tho!

I dealt with this exact situation. The SSA won't tell you what your ex receives - that's private information protected by law. However, what you CAN do is file for your own benefits and divorced spouse benefits at the same time. You'll need: 1. Your marriage certificate 2. Divorce decree 3. Ex's name and SSN (if you have it) 4. Your own ID and SSN If you don't have your ex's SSN, SSA can usually still find their record with name, DOB, and parents' names. They'll calculate both benefits and pay you the higher amount. Remember that if you file at 62, you'll get a permanently reduced amount - about 30% less than if you waited until your Full Retirement Age (FRA).

Not only can you NOT legally find out what your ex is receiving, you actually SHOULDN'T try to. SSA guidelines make it clear that attempting to access someone else's benefit information without authorization is potentially a federal offense. But as others have mentioned, you don't need that information anyway. The SSA will do the comparison for you.

I tried getting this info a few years back too and got nowhere! Ended up just applying for both like everyone is saying. SSA did all the work but it took FOREVER to process everything. I waited almost 3 months to get approval!

If you're having trouble getting through to SSA to start this process, you might want to try Claimyr. I was in a similar situation last year and kept getting disconnected when calling SSA. A friend told me about claimyr.com and they got me connected to an actual agent within 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me hours of frustration!

by the way, remember u only get 50% of your ex's benefit MAXIMUM even if u wait till FRA. and if ur own benefit is bigger u just get urs instead

Everyone here is giving you incorrect information!!! You absolutely CAN find out what your ex-spouse gets if you submit form SSA-3288 with their signature authorizing release of information to you. Without that, yes, SSA won't tell you. But the good news is you don't NEED to know - when you apply for benefits, SSA can access both records and determine the higher benefit automatically.

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I'm going to gather my marriage certificate and divorce decree, then try to make an appointment with my local office. If I can't get through on the phone I'll try that Claimyr service someone mentioned. It's a huge relief to know I don't need to contact my ex or figure out his benefit amount myself.

Just wanted to add that you should also consider whether your ex has remarried. If he remarried and is still married, you can still collect divorced spouse benefits on his record - it doesn't affect what he or his current spouse receives. But if YOU remarry, you'll lose eligibility for divorced spouse benefits (unless that marriage also ends). Also, make sure you have documentation showing you were married for at least 10 years - SSA is pretty strict about this requirement. Good luck with your application!

One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet - if you're planning to work while collecting benefits at 62, be aware of the earnings test. For 2024, if you earn more than $22,320, they'll reduce your benefits by $1 for every $2 you earn above that limit. This applies until you reach your full retirement age. Just something to factor into your planning since you mentioned needing the income now. The good news is that any benefits withheld due to earnings get added back to your monthly payment once you reach FRA, so it's not permanently lost.

I went through this exact same situation two years ago! The process was actually much smoother than I expected once I understood that SSA handles all the comparison work. I applied online at ssa.gov and it took about 6 weeks to get approved. One tip that really helped me: when you're gathering documents, also look for any old tax returns where you filed jointly - SSA sometimes asks for these to verify the marriage dates if there are any discrepancies with your other documents. I ended up getting the divorced spouse benefit which was about $200 more per month than my own would have been. Don't stress about not knowing your ex's benefit amount - the system really does work without you having to figure that out yourself!