Ask Larry

Hello, I am a divorced non-resident alien ex-spouse living in the UK. I am a UK national and my husband was a US citizen. I lived in the US for a number of years. I know that I will receive a social security payment based on my ex husbands contributions shortly when he turns 62 (I am already. 62). However, when I lived in the US I also made voluntary contributions to the UK state pension. Therefore I am fully paid up in the UK system and am also entitled to Social Security base on his contributions. Will I be able to receive the full UK state pension and all the US social security or will some of the US social security be taken away? Thanks

Hi. My expertise is limited to the U.S. Social Security system, so I can't tell you for sure if your U.S. benefits will have any effect on your U.K. pension. What I can tell you, though, is that your U.K. pension won't have any adverse effect on your U.S. Social Security divorced spousal benefits. However, if you start drawing your divorced spousal benefits prior to your full retirement age (FRA), your benefit rate will be reduced for age. You may want to strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully compare and analyze all of your options so that you can determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry