Right here’s some excellent news about divorce, for a change. In case your marriage lasted no less than ten years, you may declare Social Safety advantages on all the earnings historical past of your ex-spouse. These are generally known as “by-product advantages,” and they’re equal to one-half of your ex-spouse’s advantages.
It’s an either-or scenario – you may select to get your personal advantages or the by-product advantages of your ex-spouse, whichever is bigger. Gathering by-product advantages doesn’t cut back what your ex-spouse receives, or, if he’s remarried, what his present partner receives.
Now, listed here are solutions to 3 of the tough Social Safety questions we are sometimes requested by readers:
1. What number of ex-wives can declare by-product advantages?
As many exes as there are, so long as every marriage lasted 10 years. Mickey Rooney’s seven ex-wives received unnoticed, since not one of the marriages lasted greater than 10 years, however three of Johnny Carson’s marriages lasted over 10 years, so all these ex-wives may declare by-product advantages.
2. If my ex-spouse dies, do my by-product Social Safety advantages finish?
This has a excellent news, dangerous information reply. The dangerous information: If he dies, the by-product profit ends. The excellent news is that now you may gather survivor advantages, that are 100% of his advantages, not simply 50%.
3. Can I obtain each public worker advantages and Social Safety?
As of January 2024, now you can obtain each your full public worker pension and your full Social Safety advantages. The Social Safety Equity Act, which was signed into legislation on January 5, 2025, eradicated earlier reductions that affected public staff. This is applicable to each your personal Social Safety advantages and any advantages you could be entitled to obtain based mostly in your ex-spouse’s work file.
These guidelines are topic to alter, after all. If you end up prepared to say Social Safety advantages, you should definitely let the Social Safety Administration know that you just had been married for greater than ten years, and be ready to furnish your ex-spouse’s full title and social safety quantity.
They may then calculate what advantages offers you the best month-to-month cost, and they’re going to be capable to recalculate these advantages in case your ex-spouse dies while you’re accumulating advantages.
For extra info go to the web page “If You Are Divorced” on the Social Safety Administration’s web site.
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