The Wall Street Journal answers questions of how divorce affects social security.
We were swamped with follow-up questions in the wake of a recent column answering an ex-wife’s questions about collecting Social Security retirement benefits based on her ex-husband’s work record. To review, here are the general requirements for collecting retirement benefits based on an ex-spouse’s earnings: Your marriage had to have lasted at least 10 years; you can’t be remarried; you have to be at least 62; and your ex-spouse has to be entitled to Social Security retirement or disability benefits. If you haven’t yet reached your full retirement age, you would receive a percentage of the benefit you would be entitled to get at that date. Also, the benefit you are entitled to based on your own work generally would have to be less than the benefits you would receive based on your husband’s work. (However, if you wait until your full retirement age to file for Social Security, you can restrict the scope of your application to your ex-spouse’s benefit only, and continue to accrue credits for delaying your own retirement benefit up to age 70.) – From WSJ