Hi Larry, I plan on claiming my SS benefits at 62, next July. My question is, Is it true that I can collect more from my ex wife's SS. If so how does that affect her? Thanks and stay safe.

Hi,

You could potentially get benefits from your ex-wife's record as early as age 62 if you meet the requirements (https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/handbook.03/handbook-0311.html). Assuming that your wife is still living, you could only qualify for divorced spousal benefits if 50% of your ex's primary insurance amount (PIA) is higher than your PIA. A person's PIA is equal to their Social Security retirement benefit rate if they start drawing their benefits at full retirement age (FRA).

If you are able to collect divorced spousal benefits, doing so would have no adverse effect on the benefit rate of your ex-spouse nor any other dependents eligible for benefits on her record.

You may want to strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully analyze the options available to you in order to determine your best strategy for maximizing benefits.

Best, Jerry