Ask Larry

Will I Qualify For Deceased Spouse Benefits From My First Marriage?

If, I was married for 17 yrs., divorced, remarried, divorced, and remarried my second husband again after turning 60 will, I qualify for deceased spouse benefits from my first marriage?

Hi. I assume you mean that you were divorced from your first spouse at the time of his death. As long as a) you were married for more than 10 consecutive years to your deceased ex-husband, and b) you're either currently unmarried or your current marriage occurred after you reached age 60, then you could potentially qualify for surviving divorced spousal benefits on your former husband's account. You'd also need to meet the other eligibility requirements (https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/handbook.04/handbook-0403.html), though, such as being at least age 60 or at least age 50 and disabled. Also, if you're already collecting your own benefits you could only qualify for survivor benefits if the survivor rate is higher than your own benefit rate.

It sounds like you may want to consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully analyze all of your various options so that you can determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry

Posted: 
May 10 2022 - 11:03am
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