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Is It Correct That I Don't Qualify For Divorced Spousal Benefits?

I am divorced.
My ex-wife was an RN.
Several years she earned in excess of $6000. Mnt.
I was told that I don't qualify for the spousal benefits

Hi,

There's not enough information in your question for me to know if you could qualify for divorced spousal benefits. First off, you'd need to have been married for at least 10 years, and you'd have to be at least age 62 and currently unmarried. Additionally, your ex-wife would either need to be receiving Social Security retirement or disability benefits, or she would have to be at least age 62 and your divorce would need to have been final for at least 10 years.

Furthermore, if you were born after January 1 1954 you could only qualify for divorced spousal benefits if your ex's primary insurance amount (PIA) is more than twice as much as your PIA. A person's PIA is the amount they would receive if they start drawing their Social Security retirement benefits at their full retirement age (FRA). Even if you were born prior to January 2 1954, unless your ex's PIA is more that twice as much as your PIA you could only qualify for divorced spousal benefits if you are at least FRA and haven't yet claimed your own Social Security retirement benefits (https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/handbook.03/handbook-0311.html).

Our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) could help you determine what type of benefits you qualify for, as well as your best strategy for claiming benefits.

Best, Jerry

Posted: 
Aug 14 2019 - 10:26am
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