Tip #7: Unlock Remarriage Loopholes and Survivor Benefits
Marital status updates directly impact your financial rights under social security after divorce guidelines. If you choose to remarry while your ex-spouse is still living, you lose all legal entitlement to collect spousal benefits on their record.
However, if that subsequent marriage ends due to divorce, death, or annulment, your eligibility on your first ex-spouse’s record immediately resumes—provided that original marriage met the ten-year continuous duration requirement.
Notably, your ex-spouse’s marital status changes have no effect on you; if your former partner remarries multiple times, your spousal rights remain completely undisturbed.
The financial equation changes significantly if your ex-spouse passes away. As a qualified divorced surviving spouse, you become entitled to receive up to 100 percent of your deceased ex’s full benefit, rather than the standard 50 percent spousal cap.
You can claim reduced survivor benefits as early as age 60 (or age 50 if you are disabled).
Crucially, a major remarriage exception exists for survivors: if you remarry at age 60 or older (or age 50 if disabled), your new marriage will not invalidate your entitlement to divorced survivor benefits.
You can draw full survivor checks based on your deceased ex’s record while being happily married to a new partner.
I took my personal SS at age 62. Can I switch to or “add” my ex’s full retirement now? I am 75 and never made as much money as my rx but sure could use the extra now.
Too Good to be trueAre you saying if I’m 62 I can apply for my x husband social security without letting him know or get in trouble for applying for his disability so how many years are you going to come back after 2 and tell me I made to much money or I’m not supposed to have done that.
I am still working but my ex husband is not can I get some social security from him.
Part-time
Does it matter how long you’ve been divorced? If not, how do I apply to receive from his social security?
Does it matter how long you have been divorced?
This is not a comment but a question. I applied for Social Security at age 64 due to personal medical reasons (not officially disabled). I asked the SS worker about this ex-spouse rule and was told that the amount “would not make a difference,” even though my ex-spouse was still working. It is now 4 yrs later and my ex-spouse has retired. Am I able to apply for this ex-spouse benefit now, even though I have been receiving my own SS benefit for the past 4 years? I do not mean retroactively to my retirement date, but from the current date.
I’ve remarried and I’m receiving my social security can I change and receive my x husband
I retired at 62 I’m now 71 . Could I use my x husbands retirement social security? I only make 1,300. a month and I’m disabled now in my back. Funds are so tight, every month.
If I am 62 and my husband is deceases, can I draw my husband Social Security now, he has been deceased since August 24, 2021
My ex husband and I have devoiced for years and he has remarried. He has been deceased since December 2025.
I am retired, remarried and collecting my own SS. Can I apply for benefits under my Ex-spouses SS?