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Social Security benefit amount for ex-spouse: does it depend on how long marriage lasted?

A couple is married for 10 years and the husband pays into SS for 10 years, while his spouse does not work. 

 

Assuming they get divorced today, the non-working ex-spouse is eligibible for SS benefits (because marriage lasted 10 years). 

 

If husband keeps working for next years after divorce - will ex-spouse's benefit amount be impacted?  

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@SigitasJ791566 wrote:

A couple is married for 10 years and the husband pays into SS for 10 years, while his spouse does not work. 

 

Assuming they get divorced today, the non-working ex-spouse is eligibible for SS benefits (because marriage lasted 10 years). 

 

If husband keeps working for next years after divorce - will ex-spouse's benefit amount be impacted?  


The divorced spouse, if all the eligibility requirements are met, is entitled to 50% of the ex-spouses' benefit at retirement age as long as their own benefit, if they qualify for one, is not greater than this amount.

 

Social Security - Divorced Spouse Benefits

 

All the other rules for benefits still apply - early filing, full retirement age, etc.

If the ex-spouse keeps working until they are 70 - to earn a higher benefit for themselves than they would have gotten at their FULL Retirement age - does not count towards any sort of spousal benefit - married or divorced.

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Assuming ex-wife will not work in US and will have zero SS credits- husband's post-divorse payments into Social Security will grow ex-wife's SS benefit amount, right? 

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@SigitasJ791566 wrote:

Assuming ex-wife will not work in US and will have zero SS credits- husband's post-divorse payments into Social Security will grow ex-wife's SS benefit amount, right? 


Read the link I provided in my previous post.

 

As long as all eligibility rules apply (see the link),  her full retirement age divorced spouse benefit will be 50% of his benefit at full retirement age -'if he continues to work past his full retirement age to age 70, she will get none of this benefit bonus.

 

If she wants these divorced spouse benefits received while she is living outside the US - that has more rules of its own.

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