Social Security Benefits for Divorced Spouses
A spouse who has been married for 10 years or more may be eligible for social security benefits as a divorced spouse.While the politically correct term is divorced spouse's benefits, most of the impacted spouses are women who haven't earned any benefits on their own record or who have earned less than 50% of their husband's benefit on their own record.
Many working women believe that they will get their own benefits PLUS 50% of their husband's benefit. This ISN"T true! One receives their own benefit first and the difference between their benefit and 50% of the husband's benefit. If the benefit on their own record is more than 50% of their husband's record, they won't receive any of the husband's benefits.
It may be to a divorced spouse's long-term advantage to take reduced benefits on her own record prior to the Full Retirement Age [the FRA is increasing from 65 to 67] and then receive benefits on the divorced husband's record; BUT, the timing of this is very important.
Also, the divorced spouse needs to understand the impact of remarriage.
For a personal evaluation of your divorced spouse's options, send an email to benefits @ govtbenefits.com