Can I withdraw Social Security from my ex-spouse?

Dear Wise Senior,

Can I get Social Security benefits from my ex-spouse? We were married for 12 years and have been divorced for almost 20 years.

— I will not remarry.

dear never,

Yes, depending on your particular circumstances, there is a good chance you may be eligible for a divorced spouse’s Social Security benefits. Here’s what you should know:

Who is Eligible?

If you are over 62, have been married for 10 years or more, are unmarried, and are not eligible for retirement benefits, your divorced spouse may receive Social Security retirement benefits based on your ex-husband’s (or ex-wife’s) income records. increase. Earn higher profits based on your earnings performance.

To be collected, your ex-spouse must also be at least 62 years of age and be eligible for Social Security benefits. However, a person does not have to be receiving benefits in order to receive divorced spousal benefits as long as at least two years have passed since the divorce.

Even if your ex-husband remarries, it doesn’t affect your entitlement to divorce benefits, nor does it affect your ex-husband’s retirement or your current spouse’s benefits.

Benefit amount

Divorced spouses can receive up to 50% of their ex-husband’s full Social Security benefits. However, it will be less if you received your benefits before full retirement age. The retirement age for those born in 1945 to her 1954 is her 66, but for those born in 1945 to her 1954 it will be raised in stages until she is 67. 1960 onwards. To find out your full retirement age and how much your early retirement will reduce your benefits, see below.
SSA.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/agereduction.html.

Note, however, that if you qualify for benefits based on your work history, you will receive the greater of the two benefits. You cannot receive benefits for both you and your original work history.

To find out how much your retirement benefits will be, refer to your social security statement at the following URL: SSA.gov/myaccount. To get an estimate of her ex-husband’s benefits, call the Social Security Administration at 800-772-1213. To obtain it, you must provide your marriage certificate and divorce decree to prove that you have been married for at least 10 years, as well as your ex-spouse’s social security number.

Other factors to know

You should also be aware that working may affect your divorced spouse’s benefits. If she begins receiving benefits while in employment and has not reached full retirement age, her benefits will be reduced by $1 for every $2 she earns over the annual limit, and in 2023 she will be $21,240. will be dollars. However, in the year she reaches full retirement age, the annual limit will increase to $56,520 for her, and for every $3 he exceeds that limit the reduction will drop to $1 for him.look SSA.gov/pubs/EN-05-10069.pdf for more information.

Another factor that may reduce your divorced spouse’s benefits is that you receive a pension from an employer (such as the government) that does not withhold Social Security tax. This is the rule known as Government Pension Offset (see Government Pension Offset) SSA.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/gpo-calc.html) can reduce your pension by two-thirds.

Divorce Survivor Benefit

You should also know that if your ex-spouse dies (if you have been married for 10 years or more), you may be eligible to receive a divorce survivor benefit of up to 100% of what your ex-spouse should have paid. .

Survivor benefits are available to divorced spouses from age 60 (age 50 if disabled). However, if you remarry before the age of 60, you will lose your eligibility until your marriage ends. Remarriage after age 60 does not affect eligibility.

Also note that if you were receiving Divorced Spousal Benefits when your ex-spouse died, you will automatically be switched to the higher Survivor Benefits.

Learn more about SSA.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/applying7.html Click Divorced Spouse Benefits.

For advanced questions, please send to Savvy Senior, PO Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070 or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is He is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of the book “The Savvy Senior.”