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Both single living together

Hello.

My parnter and I are both single, recently divorced and will be hitting retirement age in a few years.  My understanding is that we will both be able to collect our own social security benefits but the benefits will have no right of survivorship.  We both have grown children and living spouses that we were each married to for over 10 years. At either of our deaths, will our benefits go to the divorced spouse?

I don't see the benefit of marriage if we only get the one benefit that is the higher amount one except for survivorship.  Am I correct?

 

Thanks

 

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@BrianM856981 wrote:

Hello.

My parnter and I are both single, recently divorced and will be hitting retirement age in a few years.  My understanding is that we will both be able to collect our own social security benefits but the benefits will have no right of survivorship.  We both have grown children and living spouses that we were each married to for over 10 years. At either of our deaths, will our benefits go to the divorced spouse?

I don't see the benefit of marriage if we only get the one benefit that is the higher amount one except for survivorship.  Am I correct?

 

Thanks

 


I have been thinking about your post off and on since you 1st posted it -

 

Yes, there are Social Security benefits for being married - you mentioned (1) - Survivor Benefits.

You get NO right of (SS) Survivorship if you are not married.  If your divorced spouses haven't remarried or any minor or disabled children are still in the picture - they too will get a "survivor benefit".  That's in addition to, not in place of -

 

Couple also need to look at the advantage / disadvantage to being married within the tax code, within the Retirement code - so one answer does not always fit in nicely.

 

We just had a change in "non-spousal" inherited Retirement accounts at the end of this year - it has already been signed into law.  You might want to consider this situation too.

(Read all the link but pay special attention to the part under the heading "Now for the bad news")

MarketWatch 12/30/2019 - Secure Act includes one critical tax change ‘that will send estate planners... 

 

There is so much to consider here for the both of you.  Some of the decisions will have to be made considering what your individual divorce degrees hold, especially concerning the Retirement accounts.

 

One other thing bears mentioning - it is always more difficult for a non-spouse to handle ther personal/healthcare/financial affairs of another than a spouse - having various legal documents help but they need to be foolproof.

 

The way I see it, Social Security is but one consideration in this situation.

Good Luck to the both of you in your new life regardless of how you two design it.

 

It's Always Something . . . . Roseanna Roseannadanna
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See this SS page for more information

 

https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/divspouse.html

 


@BrianM856981 wrote:

Hello.

My parnter and I are both single, recently divorced and will be hitting retirement age in a few years.  My understanding is that we will both be able to collect our own social security benefits but the benefits will have no right of survivorship.  We both have grown children and living spouses that we were each married to for over 10 years. At either of our deaths, will our benefits go to the divorced spouse?

I don't see the benefit of marriage if we only get the one benefit that is the higher amount one except for survivorship.  Am I correct?

 

Thanks

 


 

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Divorced spouses are eligible for Social Security benefits after 10 years of marriage and meeting other requirements. There's no limit on the number of such divorced spouses, but the 10 year rule puts a practical limit.

 

Benefits paid to ex-spouses do not affect your own or those of a current spouse.

 

Being married to your partner provides them survivor's benefits on your SS. This _might_ provide them with greater benefits than just their own. Also, they  may be eligible for survivor's benefit on their ex-spouses. But there are rules on remarriage that affect this as well. 

 

I'll have to look those up. "More later"

 

I suppose you are right that spousal and survivor's benefits are the only advantages to being married as far as SS is concerned.

 

Disclaimer...I am not a SS expert. I'm just a guy who reads the rules.

 


@BrianM856981 wrote:

Hello.

My parnter and I are both single, recently divorced and will be hitting retirement age in a few years.  My understanding is that we will both be able to collect our own social security benefits but the benefits will have no right of survivorship.  We both have grown children and living spouses that we were each married to for over 10 years. At either of our deaths, will our benefits go to the divorced spouse?

I don't see the benefit of marriage if we only get the one benefit that is the higher amount one except for survivorship.  Am I correct?

 

Thanks

 


 

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