Social Security divorced spouse benefits - can I find out my ex's benefit amount before filing?

The SSA rep is wrong. You absolutely CAN find out what your benefit would be on your ex's record without filing first. I went through this exact situation last year. You need to specifically request a 'benefit estimate based on your ex-spouse's record' when you call. They might push back at first, but stand your ground. Make sure you have your marriage certificate and divorce decree handy - they sometimes ask for those dates. It took me three calls before I got someone who knew how to do this properly.

The confusion might be about the actual filing process versus just getting an estimate. You're absolutely entitled to information about ALL your benefit options before filing. Here's what you need to do: 1. Schedule an appointment (don't just call) with your local SSA office specifically to discuss divorced spouse benefits 2. Bring proof of your marriage duration (marriage certificate + divorce decree) 3. You'll need your ex's name and date of birth at minimum; SSN is helpful but not always required if the marriage was long ago 4. Explicitly ask for benefit estimates for BOTH your own record and ex-spouse benefits Remember that if you're under Full Retirement Age (FRA), you're deemed to be filing for all benefits you're eligible for simultaneously (due to the 2015 law changes). At 62, filing on either record means you're effectively filing on both and will receive the higher amount.

I work for a financial planning firm, and we help clients with this exact situation all the time. What the SSA rep told you is incorrect, but it happens CONSTANTLY. The issue is many SSA employees aren't properly trained on divorced spouse benefits. Here's what we tell our clients: Go IN PERSON to your local SSA office (make an appointment first), and specifically ask to speak with a "Technical Expert" who can provide benefit estimates on both your own record and your ex-spouse's record. Bring: 1) Your ex's full name and SSN if you have it 2) Marriage certificate 3) Divorce decree 4) Your own ID and SSN card Also important: since the 2015 elimination of file-and-suspend strategies, at 62 you'll be deemed to be filing for ALL benefits you're eligible for. So you'll automatically get the higher of your own or the divorced spouse benefit (which maxes out at 50% of your ex's FRA benefit if you wait until your own FRA to claim).

i had same problem but diferent outcome. they made me file on my own first and i got stuck with lower benefit! been fighting ssa for 8 months to fix it. dont do what i did!!! get it in WRITING what both amounts would be

Just wanted to add - your ex doesn't need to be collecting benefits for you to claim on their record. They just need to be eligible (62+). A lot of people don't know that!

I spent 3 WEEKS trying to get through to someone at SSA about almost this exact question. Kept getting disconnected or waiting on hold forever. Finally I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person at SSA in less than 20 minutes! I was shocked how well it worked. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU so you can see how it works. The agent I spoke with was able to pull up both benefit amounts for me after I explained what I needed. Saved me so much frustration!

one thing nobody mentioned yet - if ur still working make sure u understand the earnings test! at 62 they take away benefits if u earn too much ($1 for every $2 over $22,320 in 2025). happened to my sister and she was SHOCKED when they wanted money back

The way the rep responded to you sounds like they were confusing two different things. Before Full Retirement Age, there's something called "deemed filing" which means when you file for one benefit, you're deemed to be filing for all benefits you're eligible for. BUT this has nothing to do with your right to GET INFORMATION about potential benefit amounts! Lots of SSA phone reps get this wrong. I'd recommend calling back and speaking to someone different, or better yet, making an appointment at your local office. Ask specifically for benefit ESTIMATES on both records. Don't phrase it as "what would I get if I filed on my ex's record" because some reps interpret that as an application request.

Everybody here is making it more complicated than it needs to be. Just go on ssa.gov and create a my Social Security account if you don't already have one. Under benefit estimates, there's an option to calculate different scenarios. You can enter your ex's info there and see what you'd get without having to deal with anyone on the phone.

Just one more thing - if your ex has remarried but you haven't, you can still claim on his record. But if YOU remarry, you generally can't claim on your ex's record anymore (unless that marriage ends too). Just mentioning since I didn't know this before I started researching.