Will my sister get decent spousal Social Security benefits after ex-husband retires? Losing alimony at 64

Your sister will be entitled to up to 50% of her ex-husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), but there are important details to understand. First, they were married more than 10 years, which is the minimum requirement. Second, at 64, if she claims now, she'll get a reduced amount - approximately 41.7% instead of the full 50% she'd get at her Full Retirement Age (66 and 4 months for someone her age). If she waits until her FRA, she'll get the maximum ex-spouse benefit. Also important: the ex-spouse benefit doesn't reduce what her ex-husband gets - he'll still receive his full amount regardless. And she doesn't need his permission or cooperation to claim on his record. To estimate the amount, multiply his PIA (not his actual benefit amount if he's getting delayed retirement credits) by the percentage based on her claiming age. So if his PIA is $3000, she'd get around $1250/month claiming at 64, or $1500 if she waits until her FRA.

my mom went thru this exact same thing!! they were married 22 yrs and dad made like 120k most years. she gets about $1600 and that was with taking it at 63. your right that she doesnt need to talk to him at all. SS has all his income records so they know what hes entitled too. they dont even tell him shes applying! the phone interview is super easy, like 15 mins tops. tell her not to stress!

She NEEDS to file as soon as she's eligible! The SSA won't backpay benefits she could have gotten but didn't apply for!! They only pay retroactive benefits for 6 months maximum, and that's ONLY if she's past her full retirement age. If she waits and struggles financially when she could be getting benefits, that's money LOST FOREVER. If she's worried about survival now, she should apply immediately. Yes, she'll get a reduced amount, but something is better than nothing. I made this mistake waiting too long and regret it EVERY DAY.

OMG I was in this exact situation 2 yrs ago & trying to reach SSA was a NIGHTMARE!!!!! I called for WEEKS before I could get through. Eventually I found a service called Claimyr that got me connected to an actual human at SSA within 20 minutes. Saved me so much stress! Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU For your sister's situation, I got about 42% of my ex's benefit since I started at 63. It was around $1450/month which isn't great but it pays the bills. Make sure she brings up any minor children she might have still had at home when they divorced - there are some special rules there.

Did you say you think she'll get $2k?? Thats WAY to high!! Your setting her up for big disappointment. Most people don't realize that the "half of his benefit" is half of his PRIMARY amount not half of what he actually receives!!! My friend only gets $1100 and her ex made good money too. Plus she's taking it early so its reduced.

A critical piece of information: has your sister worked at all during her life? Even with sporadic employment, she might have accumulated enough credits for her own retirement benefit. If so, she would receive the HIGHER of either her own benefit or the spousal benefit, not both combined. For the phone interview, she should have: 1. Her marriage certificate and divorce decree 2. Both her and her ex's Social Security numbers if possible 3. Her birth certificate 4. Bank account info for direct deposit The SSA representative will walk her through various filing options and potential amounts. If her ex hasn't filed for his own benefits yet, she can still file on his record once he's eligible (at 62), even if he hasn't actually applied yet.

wait i just reread ur post and noticed u said hes retiring at 67 and thats when the alimony stops??? is that in the divorce decree?? most alimony doesn't automatically stop at retirement unless its specifically in there. she might wanna check that with her lawyer!!

another thing - if your sister is hurting for money she should look into SSI too while waiting for the ex-spouse benefits to start. might help bridge the gap. also food stamps and energy assistance!!

A few additional points that might help your sister: 1. Her benefit amount will be approximately 41.7% of her ex-husband's PIA if she files at exactly age 64. For each month she waits after that (until reaching her FRA), the percentage increases slightly. 2. If she was born in 1961, her Full Retirement Age is 66 and 10 months. Waiting until then would give her the full 50% of his PIA. 3. Very important: If her ex-husband hasn't filed for his own benefits yet, she can't receive ex-spouse benefits until he becomes eligible (age 62), even if she's already past that age herself. 4. The estimate you're giving her of $2,000+ might be too high. Even with maximum earnings, the highest spousal benefit for someone reaching FRA in 2025 is around $1,800-1,900. With six-figure earnings but not at the maximum taxable amount every year, a more realistic estimate might be $1,400-1,700 at FRA, and less if taken early. 5. The phone interview will give her exact numbers based on both their earnings records, which will provide much better clarity than our estimates here.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - your sister should also ask about Medicare eligibility during her phone interview. Since she's 64 and losing her alimony income, she may qualify for Medicare Part B premium assistance programs like QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary) or SLMB (Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary). These programs can help cover Medicare premiums, deductibles, and copayments based on income limits. When her financial situation changes after the alimony ends, she'll want to make sure she's getting all the healthcare cost help available to her. The SSA representative can provide information about these programs or direct her to the right resources.