This week, I’m explaining social security retirement benefits and a few of the more important considerations you’ll want to keep in mind as you decide when to begin collecting your checks.

Today, I’m talking about special social security considerations for those of you who are divorced. 

Did you know you can collect social security benefits from your ex-spouse? 

Here’s how it works: If you were married for 10 years or longer, your ex-spouse is now old enough to receive social security, you’re at least 62, and your social security benefit is lower than theirs, you can collect social security ex-spouse benefits as long as you haven’t re-married. 

Your collection of your ex-spouse's benefit doesn’t impact their benefit, and you don’t even have to talk to your ex-spouse about your decision to start social security.

One thing that I do want to point out is that the rules used to allow ex-spouses to collect divorced spouse’s benefits while letting their own social security benefit grow without tapping into it...those rules have changed. 

If you were born in 1954 or later, social security is going to make you pick one or the other. But, according to SSA.gov, “if the benefit on your ex-spouse's record is higher, you will get an additional amount on your ex-spouse's record so that the combination of benefits equals that higher amount.”

The point here is that if you fit the criteria to collect social security benefits from your ex-spouse, it makes sense to look into the difference in collecting on their benefit vs. yours to see which strategy will maximize your benefit amount. 

That’s it for today, thanks for listening. Tomorrow, we’re going to recap the week and I’m gonna give you a little taste of next week’s theme.

My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip. 

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