January 25, 2012 Divorced Spouses May be Eligible for More Social Security Benefits

By Josh D. Simon

According to the Wall Street Journal, divorced spouses who were married for at least 10 years may be eligible for a bigger Social Security based on their ex’s earnings.

The additional dollars are especially welcome news for divorced spouses – typically women – who are living on modest or fixed incomes, who (again, typically) earned less than their spouses during the marriage, and who are afraid that divorce is going to wreak havoc on their Social Security benefits.

However, there are some conditions that factor into the equation, including:

• The marriage must have lasted at least 10 years
• Claimants must be at least 62, and their former spouse must be collecting Social Security benefits
• Claimants must be at least 60 and their former spouse has passed away
• Claimants must either be unmarried (or divorced at least 2 years), or if remarried, must have done so after age 60

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