Social Security and Divorce: Things to Know

As if getting divorce was not complicated enough, a new article shows how a divorce can impact one’s social security.  There are many different hoops that one will have to jump through when it comes to dealing with social security and if you are divorced, there are some interesting facts that you should be aware of.

If you were at one point married to someone for at least 10 years and that person paid into social security, you are also entitled to spousal benefits.  Even if you are divorced as long as you were married for at least 10 years.   However, you can cannot claim spousal benefits as well as your own.  So if you worked as well, you will need to make the choice on which to claim.  Of course, claim the one that will produce more income for you.  The article goes on to talk about some more facts that deal with social security and divorce.

” If you remarry before age 60, you lose your ability to claim spousal or survivor benefits based on a former spouse, Walker said. If you remarry after age 60, all of your rights to spousal and survivor benefits based on your former spouse’s record are retained for your lifetime”, states the article.

There are also some things one should know if they have been married a few times, the article can be found here and does provide some great and valuable information.  While an experienced lawyer, such as our firm, can help you through the entire divorce process when it comes to social security questions, your best bet may to speak with the social security office.