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Q&A: An ex-husband is delaying his Social Security benefits. Must she wait, too?

September 23, 2024 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: I read your column about divorced spousal benefits for Social Security. I was divorced as of Jan. 1. My ex-husband will be 65 next year and wants to delay benefits until he’s 67. Must I wait to get spousal benefits until then because of his decision? I also will be 65 next year. We were married 36 years.

Answer: If you were still married, you would have to wait until your husband applied for Social Security before you would be eligible for spousal benefits. Since you’re divorced, you only have to wait until he qualifies to file for retirement benefits to file. (He qualified when he turned 62.)

That doesn’t mean you should rush to file, however. Starting benefits before your own full retirement age means accepting a permanently reduced check. Your benefit also would be subject to the earnings test, which withholds $1 of your benefit for every $2 you earn over a certain limit, which in 2024 is $22,320.

Waiting until full retirement age means both the reduction and the earnings test would disappear. If you were born in 1960, your full retirement age is 67.

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Filed Under: Divorce & Money, Q&A, Social Security Tagged With: divorced spousal benefits, Social Security, spousal benefits

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