Will ex-wife's Social Security spousal benefits continue after 7-year marriage divorce?

Unfortunately, the 10-year marriage duration requirement is firm for ex-spouse benefits. There's no age exception. Since they've only been married for 7 years, she will lose access to spousal benefits based on your father's record once the divorce is finalized. She would need to rely on her own work record for benefits, or if she was previously married for 10+ years to someone else, she might qualify for ex-spouse benefits on that person's record. The 10-year rule is specifically designed to prevent short-term marriages from resulting in lifetime benefit entitlements.

My mom went thru similar thing but was married 9 years and 8 months and they told her sorry, has to be full 10 years no exceptions!!! Seems really unfair when ur that close IMO. She had to survive on just her own SS which was way less. Ur dads wife should look into if she qualifies for any benefits from previous marriages maybe???

I went through this exact scenario with my ex. The SSA is VERY strict about that 10-year requirement. Even one day short and the ex-spouse gets nothing! What people don't realize is that the decision to divorce before 10 years has PERMANENT financial consequences for the lower-earning spouse. If your father feels guilty, he could consider delaying the divorce until they hit the 10-year mark, or negotiate a private financial arrangement as part of the divorce settlement to offset her loss of benefits. But from a strictly Social Security perspective, she'll lose those spousal benefits immediately upon divorce.

Let me explain exactly what happens in this situation. Once the divorce is finalized, her spousal benefits will terminate the month after the final decree. Since they've only been married 7 years, she cannot qualify for divorced spouse benefits. However, she should immediately contact SSA to determine what benefits she might be eligible for on her own record. If she worked at least 10 years (40 credits), she'll likely qualify for retirement benefits on her own record. The SSA won't automatically switch her - she needs to apply. Also, if she was previously married for at least a decade to someone else, she could potentially claim on that ex-spouse's record instead.

SSA should send her a notice, but the system isn't perfect. She should be proactive and contact them as soon as the divorce is finalized. She'll need to provide the divorce decree. The most important thing is to avoid gaps in her benefits - if she waits too long, she could miss payments while her new benefit situation is being processed.

I had trouble reaching SSA about my divorced spouse benefits too. After getting disconnected five times and waiting on hold for hours, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person at SSA in about 20 minutes. It worked really well for me when I was desperate to sort out my benefit situation after my divorce. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU or just go to claimyr.com. Saved me a ton of stress during an already stressful time.

Just wondering... has your dad considered a legal separation instead of divorce? In some states, you can be legally separated but technically still married. might be a loophole to keep her benefits? just a thought.

I HATE how the government makes these arbitrary cutoffs!!! My sister lost benefits after 9.5 years of marriage to an abusive husband she HAD to leave for her safety!!! Now shes struggling on minimal SS while her ex gets to live comfortably. The whole system is RIGGED against vulnerable people, especially women who may have stayed home or worked less to raise kids. 10 years or nothing is CRUEL and your father's wife is about to learn how heartless our system really is. Sorry to be negative but it makes my blood BOIL.

Thank you all for the helpful responses. I've learned a lot and will share this information with both my dad and his soon-to-be ex. It sounds like she definitely needs to be proactive about contacting SSA as soon as the divorce is finalized to see what benefits she might qualify for on her own record. I'll also suggest they discuss some kind of temporary financial arrangement in the divorce settlement to help her transition, since the spousal benefits will end. I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and knowledge!