Social Security Benefits and Divorce

You may be able to claim Social Security benefits on your former spouse’s record.

If your spouse makes more money than you, you may have a claim to extra benefits from Social Security. Lower-earning spouses who stayed in a marriage for 10 years or more may be able to claim benefits equal to half the amount of the higher-earning spouse’s benefits. If you have since remarried, you can’t collect benefits on your former spouse’s record unless your later marriage ended by annulment, divorce, or death. To learn more about Social Security benefits and divorce, check out the Social Security Administration website: https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/4388