Your ex-wife may be eligible to collect Social Security benefits and alimony, depending on the length of the marriage and her age. Alimony can significantly impact the monthly Social Security benefits your wife receives. In some cases, it could eliminate the Social Security payment altogether.
Can a surviving spouse collect Social Security?
What happens if the deceased received monthly benefits? If the deceased was already receiving Social Security benefits, the surviving spouse is eligible to collect 100% of the benefits as long as they are at least 60 and they were married to the deceased for at least nine months.
How long do you have to be married to collect Social Security?
How Long Do You Need to Be Married to Receive a Deceased Partner's Social Security Benefits?
- Marriage Requirement. In most circumstances, you must be married to the deceased person for at least nine months to qualify for widow’s benefits based on your spouse's Social Security benefits.
- Other Circumstances. ...
- Divorced Spouse Benefits. ...
- Survivor Benefit Amounts. ...
How much will my wife get in Social Security?
Your FRA is 66 and 2 months. If you are 66 and 2 months and claim now, you will get a $2,000 benefit and your wife can claim $1,000. If you wait until 70 to claim, neither you nor your wife will receive any of this money until you claim at 70, and your benefits then will be approximately $2,640 for you and $1,000 for her.
Will I get my ex-husband's social security when he dies?
A: Yes, your spousal Social Security benefits you currently receive will convert to survivor benefits at the time of your ex-husband's death, according to David Cechanowicz, director of education at Social Security Timing.
Can I stop my ex wife from getting my Social Security benefits?
There's nothing anyone can do to prevent their ex from claiming their Social Security. Even though some divorce decrees specify that one spouse will relinquish their rights to collect the other spouse's benefits, the Social Security Administration says these provisions “are worthless and are never enforced.”
What percent of Social Security does a divorced spouse get?
50 percentThe most you can collect in divorced-spouse benefits is 50 percent of your former mate's primary insurance amount — the monthly payment he or she is entitled to at full retirement age, which is 66 and 4 months for people born in 1956 and is rising incrementally to 67 over the next several years.
Can a divorced woman collect her ex husband's Social Security?
Social Security Benefits for Divorced Women Thus, divorced women receive Social Security benefits either as retired workers, divorced spouses, or surviving divorced spouses. They can also receive widow benefits from a prior marriage that ended in widowhood.
Does an ex wife get ex husband's Social Security benefits?
Divorced Spouse Social Security Eligibility To collect Social Security benefits based on a former spouse's earnings record, a divorced spouse must meet these requirements: You must have been married to that spouse for 10 years or more. You must be at least age 62. You cannot currently be married.
How do I apply for my ex-spouse's Social Security benefits?
Form SSA-2 | Information You Need to Apply for Spouse's or Divorced Spouse's Benefits. You can apply: Online, if you are within 3 months of age 62 or older, or. By calling our national toll-free service at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or visiting your local Social Security office.
Can I collect my ex husband's Social Security and my own?
you're eligible for some of your ex's Social Security wives and widows. That means most divorced women collect their own Social Security while the ex is alive, but can apply for higher widow's rates when he dies.
Which wife gets Social Security benefits?
You're eligible for spousal benefits if you're married, divorced, or widowed, and your spouse is or was eligible for Social Security. Spouses and ex-spouses generally are eligible for up to half of the spouse's entitlement. Widows and widowers can receive up to 100%.
Can my ex wife claim my pension if I remarry?
If one of you remarriages, however, they are barred from making certain financial claims against the ex-spouse. This is known as the 'remarriage trap' and does have its limitations: it can bar the remarried party from claiming property, income, or savings but doesn't extend to pensions.
How long do you have to be married to claim Social Security?
Have been married to the relevant ex-spouse for at least 10 years. Have been divorced for at least two years before you claim OR have an ex-spouse already collecting Social Security retirement benefits. Be unmarried. Be age 62 or older (the same goes for your ex-spouse)
What is the maximum spousal benefit for Ann?
The maximum spousal benefit for Ann would be half of Jerry’s PIA (or earned benefit at Full Retirement Age).
What is the second loophole in Social Security?
The second loophole that the law ended was a practice called file and suspend. File and suspend was a popular method used by married couples to get the most out of their Social Security benefits. In that scenario, the higher earning spouse would file for earned retirement benefits when he or she reached Full Retirement Age, but then suspend those benefits. His or her spouse, however, was still allowed to start collecting spousal benefits. Meanwhile, the higher earning spouse would delay taking Social Security for as long as possible to grow their earned benefits. This loophole is entirely closed and would not make sense for divorced couples who aren’t combining income and don’t require that the higher earning spouse claim earned benefits before the other spouse can collect spousal benefits.
Can a divorced spouse collect spousal benefits?
Spousal benefit eligibility for divorced spouses. One out of three seniors believe that divorced spouses cannot collect spousal benefits, but they are wrong. The truth is that eligibility for spousal benefits is quite similar for both divorced and married spouses. In the case of Jerry and Ann, not only is Ann currently eligible to receive spousal ...
Is divorce a social security mistake?
Divorce is often the subject of questions we receive, and it is the subject of some of the costliest and most common Social Security mistakes. The following is one such example:
Can Ann and Jerry get spousal benefits?
In the case of Jerry and Ann, not only is Ann currently eligible to receive spousal benefits, but she is also at an advantage for having been divorced. Let’s analyze. Have been divorced for at least two years before you claim OR have an ex-spouse already collecting Social Security retirement benefits.
How much do you get if you are 60?
If you are age 60 or older but not yet of full retirement age, you would receive 71.5% to 99%. If are 50 to 59 years old and disabled, you would receive 71.5%. If you are caring for your ex-spouse's child who is disabled or under the age of 16, you would receive 75%, no matter your age. 6 7.
How old do you have to be to get a disability?
If you are disabled, and your ex-spouse has died, you can begin receiving survivors benefits if you're between the ages of 50 and 59. Your disability also must have started before or within seven years of your ex's death. The rules vary slightly when it comes to children. If you are caring for a child who is under age 16 or disabled, ...
Can you receive your own retirement at age 70?
That way, you receive only the ex-spousal benefit. You can let your own benefit amount continue racking up delayed retirement credits until you reach age 70. When you reach age 70, you can switch to your own benefit amount if that's larger than the ex-spousal amount.
Does your ex spouse get benefits based on your record?
If you collect benefits based on your ex-spouse's record, it does not reduce the amount your ex-spouse receives. It also does not impact their current spouse, if they have one. And if your ex-spouse has one or more other ex-spouses who have also not remarried, that will not reduce your benefits.
What happens if my ex spouse's Social Security benefits are higher?
If the benefit on your ex-spouse's record is higher, you will get an additional amount so that the combination of benefits equals that higher amount. 1. If you were born before January 2, 1954, ...
How much of your ex's retirement benefits can you receive?
If you meet the requirements, you can receive benefits equal to as much as 50% of your ex's retirement benefit. Filing for these benefits is a fairly straightforward process, and to protect your privacy, your ex-spouse won't be notified when you do.
How long do you have to be married to collect Social Security?
To collect Social Security benefits based on a former spouse's earnings record, a divorced spouse must meet these requirements: You must have been married to that spouse for 10 years or more . You must be at least age 62. You cannot currently be married.
How to apply for divorce benefits?
How to Apply for Benefits as a Divorced Spouse. You can apply for benefits online by going to SSA.gov, or making an appointment at your local Social Security office. To apply for benefits on a former spouse's work record, you will need to have that person's Social Security number or date and place of birth and parents’ names. 7.
How old do you have to be to get a divorce?
The marriage must have lasted for at least 10 years, and the divorced spouse must be at least 62 years old. If the requirements are met, the divorced spouse can receive an amount equal to as much as 50% of their ex's benefits.
Can a spouse receive survivor benefits if they are divorced?
If the spouse is deceased, the former partner may be eligible for a survivor's benefit of up to 100% of that amount. In either case, the divorced spouse must have reached full retirement age in order to receive the full (50% or 100%) benefit.
Can an ex-partner collect Social Security if he remarries?
Even if the former spouse remarries and the new spouse is collecting Social Security benefits based on that person's employment record, the ex-partner can also collect based on that record. 6
How much can my wife get from Social Security?
Your wife can potentially receive benefits equal to half of your full retirement benefits. To qualify, she has to wait until you start receiving benefits. She must either be 62 or older or taking care of a child of yours under 16 who gets Social Security disability. If either of you is under full retirement age -- 67 for anyone born after 1959 -- she gets less than the full 50 percent.
Can ex wife receive Social Security?
Wives and ex-wives can all receive Social Security benefits based on your income. If you have a current wife and an ex-wife, the Social Security Administration calculates their benefits independently: what your ex gets won't affect your wife's income, and vice versa. They both get the full amount to which they are entitled.
Can my ex wife claim my spousal benefits?
If your wife or ex-wife worked for a living, she may be able to claim benefits under her own work history. If she gets better benefits based on her own income, the SSA won't let her double-dip and get benefits through you too. If, however, her spousal benefits are better than her own, she gets the higher amount. If she has a separate pension for work not covered by Social Security -- typical of certain government jobs, for instance -- the SSA may lower her spousal benefits.
Can my wife collect Social Security at full retirement age?
If your wife or ex-wife is full retirement age, she can postpone collecting her own benefits and receive spousal benefits instead. This earns credits from the SSA that boost her own Social Security income when she finally claims it. If she works while receiving benefits and she's under full retirement age, SSA cuts her benefits, but it makes up the losses with bigger payments later. At full retirement age, she can work without any cut to her benefits.
Does SSA lower spousal benefits?
If she has a separate pension for work not covered by Social Security -- typical of certain government jobs, for instance -- the SSA may lower her spousal benefits.
What happens if my ex wife receives SSI?
Supplemental Security Income. If your ex-wife receives Supplemental Security Income—SSI—and also receives alimony, her SSI benefits are lower than if she did not receive alimony. The SSA defines alimony as unearned income.
How much is my ex wife's SSI benefit reduced?
For example, if your ex-wife's monthly SSI benefit is $700 and you pay her $300 in alimony, her monthly benefit will be reduced by $300.
How long do I have to be married to get SSDI?
In order for your ex-wife to receive SSDI based on your disability, she must be over the age of 62 and you must have been married for at least 10 years. The amount of SSDI your ex-wife receives does not impact the maximum family benefit that you and your family receive from SSDI. Advertisement.
Can my ex wife get SSDI?
Your ex-wife may receive Social Security Disability Income—SSDI—based on your condition, even if you are paying alimony. As with other Social Security benefits, alimony is considered unearned income and will reduce the overall amount of benefits she receives. In order for your ex-wife to receive SSDI based on your disability, ...
Can an ex wife collect Social Security if she receives alimony?
If the amount of alimony your ex-wife receives is more than the SSDI or SSI benefits, she may not be able to collect Social Security payments.
Who Is Eligible?
Social Security Benefits
- The maximum amount of Social Security benefits you can receive based on an ex-spouse's record is 50% of what your ex-spouse would get at their full retirement age. This varies based on their year of birth. The spousal benefit amount is further decreased if you file before you reach your own full retirement age.3 If you have an idea of what your ex-...
Survivors Benefits Explained
- If your ex-spouse has died, you may collect survivor's benefits. These follow different rules than those for a living ex-spouse. You can apply for benefits as early as age 60. If you remarry after you reach age 60, or age 50 if you are disabled, you will still be able to claim these benefits. If you are disabled, and your ex-spouse has died, you can begin receiving survivors benefits if you're betwe…
What About Unmarried Children?
- An unmarried child of the deceased may be able to receive benefits if one of the following applies: 1. They are younger than 18 years of age; or, they are up to age 19, if they are a full-time student in an elementary or secondary school. 2. They are age 18 or older with a disability that began before the age of 22.8