Divorced Widow(er) Benefits

My ex-husband just died at 67 but neither of us had begun taking our social security yet - we were planning to wait until 70. I am in the age window where I can switch benefits, but mine are less than my ex's and will still be if I wait to collect on my record until I'm 70. So that's not an option. When I went into the SS office recently, I was told that his benefit amount is frozen as of his date of death so they advised me to take my ss retroactively for six months and begin collecting on his record immediately.

I am about to be 62 in one month, and I’ve been receiving survivor’s benefits since I was age 60. ( I was married to my ex spouse, who was murdered at age 55, about 15 years after our divorce, and who was not yet receiving any type of SS. He and I both never remarried, although he lived with a woman for many years in a common law marriage state —- she is now claiming that she is his legal wife. ) At age 62, in a month, SSA told me I would be eligible for reduced SS benefits on my own earnings, which are higher than my deceased ex husband’s earnings.

I was married to my ex-husband for 28 years before divorcing. I remarried and so did he. He passed away about 8 years later and received SSD and a Veterans disability at the time of his death. Would I be able to draw his higher amount of SS since we both remarried? How can I find out how much that amount would be? I am 63 now and having a lot of health problems and would love to go ahead and retire and enjoy what time I have left.

Hi,

My ex-husband passed away in 2/2019. He was collecting his SS of $2,180.60. The representive informed me that I could collect $2,180.60 once I turned 66 in 10/2019 because I'm now 65 years old I could Now collect $2,120.10 NOW. it would be my choice. I choose to take the $2,120.10 now. Within a week later they placed over $2,000. in my bank account. The next week I received a letter indicating that I would only receive $1,798. I feel they are cheating me. What can I do about this? 1. What happen is me getting 100% since we were married over 10 years? 2.

I'm 58 and on disability I was married for 15 years and then divorced. she then started getting disability and now she has died can I recieve her benefits. I never remarried but she did 4times

Hi,

im 60 just got a divorce. I am going to file for survivors benefits on my deceased x spouse. My questions is are there a waiting period after divorce. I know you have to wait 2 years if your x is still alive but what about if their dead.

Hi,

When my x husband died in 2017 he was drawing disability around 2100. He had been drawing it since he was 50 for 9 years .
When i get 60 and draw his survivors benefit will they figure how much i will draw by the bend point of 2019 or by 2008 or will they just take from the 2100

Hi,

I had been drawing off of my ex spouse's benefits; when I reached age 70 I started to draw from my own. When my ex spouse dies will I receive a higher amount and will that change automatically or do I have to apply for it. I have not been in contact with him for 20 years and would not know if he were to die.

Hi,

If your ex-spouse's benefit rate is higher than your own benefit rate, it sounds like you'd be eligible for his or her higher rate as a survivor. You'd only get the higher of his rate or your rate, however, not both.

I am 67 and retired collecting my own social security. I was just told that I could have been collecting my deceased ex-husands social security when I turned 62 until I retired at age 66 then switch to my social security. We were married 14 years and I am not married. Can I go back & collect from his social security from age 62 to 66?

Hi,

Hi. I went to the SSA office to apply for my benefits having just turned 62. The woman who helped me told me that I was eligible for divorced widow benefits which had never occurred to me. This would benefit me pretty significantly but I want to make sure that it does not have a negative impact on his wife at the time of his death.

He and I were married for 13 years - 81 to 94. He was married to his second wife for less than 10 years and they had a minor child at the time of his death in 06.