Social Security ex-spouse benefits at 66 - correct about receiving half of his benefit?
I'll be turning 66 next month and finally planning to claim my Social Security benefits. I've been researching and want to make sure I understand the ex-spouse benefits correctly before I file. I was married for 13 years before divorcing in 2008, and we haven't had any contact since then. From what I've read, since I'm at full retirement age and our marriage lasted over 10 years, I might be eligible for up to half of my ex's benefit amount. My ex definitely earned more than me throughout his career (he was a construction manager while I worked part-time as a medical receptionist). The SSA website says something about a combination calculation - they'll pay my benefit plus a supplement to reach up to half of his. Is this correct? And do I have to contact him to get this benefit? I'd really rather not open that door again after all these years.
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LilMama23
You've got most of it right! Since you're at your full retirement age (FRA) and were married 10+ years, you can indeed claim ex-spouse benefits. The SSA will pay your own retirement benefit first, then supplement it with additional ex-spouse benefits if half of your ex's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) is higher than your own benefit. You don't need to contact your ex at all - SSA handles everything confidentially. He won't even know you've applied. Just bring your marriage certificate and divorce decree to your appointment.
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Aisha Patel
•Thank you so much for confirming! That's a relief that he won't be notified. Do you know if I need to specifically ask for the ex-spouse benefit when I apply? Or will SSA automatically check if I qualify for that?
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Dmitri Volkov
thats not quite right, my sister got less than half of her exs benefit. they said its cuz she took it early at 64. make sure ur actually at full retirement age or they reduce it!
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LilMama23
•That's an important point! Benefits are reduced if taken before Full Retirement Age. Since the original poster is 66 and their FRA is likely 66 (depending on birth year), they should receive the full amount they're entitled to.
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Gabrielle Dubois
Just want to add - make sure your divorce is finalized for at least 2 years before applying for ex-spouse benefits, otherwise you have to wait until your ex files for their own benefits first. This is called the "two-year rule" and trips up a lot of people. Since your divorce was in 2008, you're well past this requirement, but worth mentioning for others reading this thread.
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Tyrone Johnson
•This happened to my cousin!! She thought she could get benefits right after her divorce but had to wait. Such a confusing system sometimes.
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Aisha Patel
One more question - if my ex hasn't filed for his benefits yet (he's 67 but still working), can I still claim on his record? I'm getting conflicting information online.
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LilMama23
•Yes, you can still claim on his record even if he hasn't filed yet, as long as you're both at least 62 and have been divorced for at least 2 years. This is a special rule for divorced spouses that doesn't apply to current spouses. Your benefit is based on what he would receive at his full retirement age, regardless of whether he's actually collecting.
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Ingrid Larsson
I TRIED TO DO THIS EXACT THING LAST YEAR and let me tell you the nightmare I went through!!! Spent WEEKS trying to get through to someone at Social Security. Called literally 47 times and kept getting hung up on or waiting for hours!!! When I finally got through, the person didn't even understand their own rules about ex-spouse benefits!!! Had to call AGAIN and get someone else. Absolute disaster. They need to train their people better!!
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Carlos Mendoza
•I hear you! I had similar issues last month trying to contact the SSA about my benefits. After wasting days with busy signals and disconnections, I tried using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a real SSA agent. It actually worked - they got me connected to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of hours of waiting. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Made the whole process much less stressful, especially for complicated situations like ex-spouse benefits that often require talking to a knowledgeable agent.
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Ingrid Larsson
•Thanks for the tip! Wish I'd known about this earlier. Bookmarking it for next time I need to deal with them!
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Zainab Mahmoud
my aunt got her exhusbands benefits but then they reduced it when he died and switched her to survivors i think? does anyone know if survivors benefits are more or less than the exspouse amount?
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Gabrielle Dubois
•Survivor benefits are typically higher - they can be up to 100% of what your ex was receiving, while divorced spouse benefits top out at 50%. So if your aunt's benefits were reduced after he died, something unusual happened. She should contact SSA to make sure she's receiving the correct amount.
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Aisha Patel
Thank you all for the helpful information! I've scheduled my appointment for next week. I'm gathering my marriage certificate and divorce papers as suggested. It's such a relief to understand this better now.
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Tyrone Johnson
•Good luck! Let us know how it goes!
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Gabrielle Dubois
One final tip - when you go to your appointment, ask them to show you a benefit comparison between filing for your own benefits only versus filing for the combination of yours plus ex-spouse benefits. In rare cases, it might actually be more advantageous to file a restricted application for just the ex-spouse benefits and let your own benefit continue to grow until age 70. The rules changed in 2015, but some people born before 1954 still have this option.
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Aisha Patel
•Oh, that's interesting! I was born in 1959, so I guess that option isn't available to me. But I'll definitely ask them to show me the comparison of calculations just so I understand exactly how they're determining my benefit amount.
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