I am 63 and looking foward to retirement at fra (1/2022). I was married twice...first marriage was for 20+ years/divorced and 2nd marriage for 2 months/deceased. Can I collect social security benefits?

Hi,

Yes, assuming that you have at least 40 quarters of Social Security coverage on your own record or you meet the eligibility requirements for divorced spousal benefits on the record of the spouse to whom you were married for more than 10 years (https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/handbook.03/handbook-0311.html). You couldn't draw benefits on the record of the deceased spouse to whom you were married for 2 months, though, unless you meet an exception to the 9 month duration of marriage requirement (https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/handbook.04/handbook-0404.html).

I would need more details about your circumstances to be able to give you any additional advice, but you should strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully explore your options so that you can choose your best possible filing strategy.

Best, Jerry