Regardless of How Retirement Accounts and Pensions Were Equitably Distributed in Your Divorce, You May Be Entitled to Greater Social Security Benefits – Based on Your Ex’s Earnings if They Were Higher
Here’s a tip worth repeating for people who divorce relatively early in life, when retirement seems far off and is often out of mind.
If you are the spouse who earned less income, you may be able to collect some more social security based on your ex’s greater earnings and social security benefits.
Specifically, you may be entitled to half of your ex’s benefits.
You may even be able to collect six months’ worth of your share of their benefits for six months retroactively.
And, if you outlive your ex, you may be entitled to collect their full benefit.
All provided you were married to your ex for at least ten years.
There are some additional options and twists to collecting social security based on your ex’s social security entitlement.
It is well worth checking to make sure that you request and receive from social security all that the law entitles you to.
Read more in this Wall Street Journal piece: Boosting Mom’s Social Security Payments – When a Divorce Pays Off
