Social Security ex-spouse benefits at 66 while still working until 2025 - what are the rules?

Congratulations on reaching your Full Retirement Age (FRA)! At 66, you now have some important options. Here's what you should know: 1. Since you've reached your FRA, the earnings test no longer applies - meaning you can collect benefits while working with NO reduction regardless of how much you earn. 2. For ex-spouse benefits, you qualify if you were married at least 10 years (which you were) and are currently unmarried. 3. The "restricted application" option is only available to people born before January 2, 1954. If that's you, you could file for ONLY ex-spouse benefits while letting your own retirement benefit continue growing until age 70 (adding 8% per year in delayed retirement credits). 4. If you were born after January 1, 1954, filing for any benefit automatically triggers a "deemed filing" for all benefits you're eligible for, and SSA will pay you whichever is higher - your own or the ex-spouse benefit (which is up to 50% of his FRA amount). Given your situation, I'd recommend calling SSA directly to discuss your specific birth date and options.

i went through this last yr with my exhusband. you have to bring marriage certificate AND divorce papers to prove the 10+ yrs. they wont tell u what ur ex gets but they compare it. my advice, DONT do it online! the website is terrible and u'll wait months. call and make appointment!!!!!

I tried calling SSA for THREE WEEKS straight trying to make an appointment for my ex-spouse benefits. They either disconnect you or you're on hold FOREVER. I finally gave up and used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual person at SSA in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I got through, I learned that because I was still working at FRA (like you), I could collect my ex's benefit without any penalty AND still let my own benefit grow. The agent explained everything clearly and set up my application right over the phone. Definitely worth it to actually speak with someone rather than guessing!

There's a lot of confused information floating around here. Let me clarify the ex-spouse benefits rules as they currently stand: 1. Since you were born in 1957, your FRA is 66 and 6 months, not exactly 66. So you haven't quite reached your FRA yet if you just turned 66 in February 2025. 2. Until you reach your precise FRA, the earnings test still applies. For 2025, the limit is approximately $59,520 for the months before your FRA. Since you earn $75,000, some of your benefits could be withheld until you reach 66 and 6 months. 3. After reaching your exact FRA, you can earn unlimited income with no effect on benefits. 4. Unfortunately, as someone born after 1954, you cannot file a restricted application. When you apply, you'll be deemed to have filed for both your own retirement and ex-spouse benefits simultaneously. 5. Working until June 2025 will likely increase your own benefit amount, which may make your own benefit higher than the ex-spouse benefit (which is capped at 50% of your ex's FRA amount).

congrats on turning 66! i got really confused with all this stuff too when i retired. just wanted to mention that when my sister tried getting benefits on her ex's record, she found out he hadn't applied for his own benefits yet which meant she couldn't get anything! does your ex already get SS? if not you might be out of luck until he applies

DONT BOTHER WITH EX SPOUSE BENEFITS!!! I went through all the trouble of applying and all the paperwork just to find out my own benefit was $240 more per month than what I would've gotten from my ex's record. Complete waste of time. With your salary of $75k you'll probably get more on your own record anyway.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet that's important: if you start taking any type of benefit before age 70, you'll stop accruing delayed retirement credits. So even though you can work without penalty after FRA, if your own benefit would be higher eventually, you might be better off waiting to file anything until you stop working or reach 70, whichever comes first. Each year you delay past FRA adds 8% permanently to your monthly check. I'd recommend getting a free analysis at your local Area Agency on Aging - they have trained SHIP counselors who can look at your specific numbers.

My friend tried to do the ex spouse thing and SSA lost her paperwork TWICE!! Then they told her she hadnt been married long enough but she had proof it was 12 years! The system is so broken. If I were u id just wait till next year when ur done working and do it all at once

Since you'll be working until June 2025 and your FRA isn't until August 2025, here's what I recommend: 1. Continue working as planned until June 2025 2. Wait until August 2025 when you reach your exact FRA of 66 and 6 months 3. At that point, apply for your retirement benefits 4. During the application, indicate you were married for over 10 years and provide your ex's information 5. SSA will automatically calculate both benefits and pay you the higher amount This approach simplifies everything, avoids the earnings test complications, and ensures you get the highest possible benefit. Your continued work through June 2025 will likely increase your own primary insurance amount (PIA), possibly making the ex-spouse benefit irrelevant.