Collecting Social Security benefits when you’re divorced

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Is your ex a high earner? Double-check your Social Security claim.

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Social Security spousal benefits let you claim up to half of your spouse’s retirement benefit—if that amount is higher than what you’d receive based on your own earnings. What many people don’t realize is that this option may still be available even after a divorce.

Like most Social Security benefits, this option comes with specific eligibility rules. But even a small increase in income after divorce can be meaningful.

The basics are pretty straightforward. Remember that Social Security benefits are typically determined by your work record. The potential advantage of spousal benefits is that you don’t have to be stuck with a smaller benefit amount if your earnings history is much lower than your ex’s. If the amount you’d get based on your ex’s work history (50% of their benefit) is higher than your own benefit, you can claim the higher amount. Also consider:

When you file for benefits, proof is needed that you were married to your ex for at least 10 years, and that you’re now divorced. But you don’t need your ex’s involvement to apply. Even though you’re claiming Social Security based on your ex’s record, it doesn’t impact their benefits one bit.

By the same token—in case you’re in the middle of a divorce and thinking ahead—this strategy doesn’t need to be part of divorce negotiations because it doesn’t involve any assets. It’s simply a way ex-spouses can navigate the Social Security system.

The general rule with Social Security is that the longer you wait to file, the higher your monthly check will be. If you wait until your full retirement age, you’ll get 50% of your ex’s benefit. Full retirement age, or normal retirement age, depends on the year you were born.

If you were born between 1943 and 1954, your FRA is 66. The full retirement age increases gradually for those born after 1955. If you were born in 1960 or later, your FRA is age 67.

Here’s how your age can affect your benefit amount: Suppose your ex gets a retirement benefit of $2,071 (the average retired worker benefit as of 2026). If you claim the divorced spouse benefit at your full retirement age, you’d get 50% of that: $1,035.50.

But if you apply at age 62 instead, you’ll get a permanently reduced amount—roughly 30% less, or about $725 in this example.

Unlike your own Social Security retirement benefits, which increase about 8% for each year you delay claiming until age 70, there’s no incentive to wait past full retirement age for divorced spousal benefits. You’re capped at 50% of your spouse’s benefit.

Divorced spouse benefits are subject to increase based on the Social Security Administration’s annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). Beginning in January 2026, Social Security benefits increased by 2.8%.

If your ex has died, and you’re at your full retirement age or older, you may be eligible for 100% of their Social Security benefit through survivor benefits.

Benefits you receive as a surviving divorced spouse won’t reduce the amount paid to other survivors on your ex’s record.

If you were married to more than one person for at least 10 years, you can pick which ex’s record to use—as long as you have proof of both the marriage and the divorce. But you can’t claim on more than one spouse’s record.

Divorce often brings financial stress, especially when it comes to retirement planning. Social Security’s divorced spouse benefit can be a way to boost income if your own earnings record results in a smaller benefit.

And this benefit cannot be contested by your former spouse. Your application is handled independently through Social Security, and it won’t affect your ex’s benefits. That can make claiming divorced spouse benefits a win-win—even if it requires a little extra effort to set the wheels in motion.