Real Answers for Life’s Money Challenges
I got married at 19 and divorced in my early 30s.
Ive never earned above $54,000 a year, which is what Im making now.
Im turning 62 next year and am preparing to retire and take Social Security.
My ex-husband (age 64) has a high-paying job and has always outearned me.
We are no longer in contact, but I know hes still working through our kids.
Im thinking I would probably get more benefits if I took his Social Security.
Would I need to contact him and get his permission first?
-H.
Dear H.,
No, you dont need to contact your ex to claim his Social Security.
Even Social Security wont contact your ex to tell him youre claiming hisSocial Security benefits.
So kindly dont worry that youll need to restart communication with your ex to get his permission here.
And Im also skeptical about whether youll actually collect more based on his record rather than your own.
More on all that shortly.
First, a quick primer on the rules for exes andSocial Security.
It doesnt matter whether your ex has actually started benefits.
They just need to be eligible.
Your ex really shouldnt care about this one.
If hes remarried, his new spouses benefits wont be impacted, either.
Theres more bad news.
You only get the entire 50% if you wait untilyourfull retirement age.
If you were born in 1959, thats 66 years and 10 months.
By claiming as soon as youre eligible, youll reduce your benefit even more.
In your case, youd only be collecting about 35% of his benefit.
Fortunately, we dont need to spend all day speculating about whose record will give you a bigger benefit.
you could call Social Security and ask them what youll qualify for as a divorced spouse.
Youll have to provide your marriage and your divorce decree.
It will be helpful if you still have your exs Social Security number.
If you dont, you may need to provide other identifying information for Social Security to locate his record.
Youll get whichever benefit is higher.
Waiting to collect the maximum benefit at age 70 is unrealistic for many seniors.
But even holding out for a couple of years past 62 canmake retirement more affordable.
It sounds appealing right?
Check it out here!
In that case, youd have to suspend your benefit and pay back everything you received.
If thats not feasible, you have to accept the lower benefit for life.
Marriages dont always last.
But your Social Security decisions are more or less permanent.
Tread very carefully, no matter whose record you claim on.
Robin Hartill is a certified financial planner and a senior editor at The Penny Hoarder.
Send your tricky money questions to[email protected].
