When you navigate a Maryland divorce, you need to think about your future and what you might do to prepare for it financially and otherwise. You may also have questions about whether you might be able to collect Social Security benefits based on your spouse’s work history and record.
According to AARP, you should be able to collect Social Security retirement benefits based on your former spouse’s record if certain circumstances are present.
When you are eligible
First, your former spouse has to be eligible for Social Security retirement benefits as a result of his or her work history. Second, your marriage to that individual had to have lasted 10 years or longer. Third, you must be at least 62 to qualify for this type of assistance. Fourth, you must have remained unmarried in the time since your divorce.
What else to know
You may be able to receive up to 50% of what your spouse does each month in divorced-spouse benefits once your ex reaches full retirement age. How much you collect each month also depends on how old you are when you file for Social Security. The longer you wait, the more you collect. Also, as long as you are of age and otherwise qualify, you do not have to wait for your ex to start collecting his or her benefits to collect them yourself.
You may also want to note that any benefits you collect based on your former spouse’s record have no impact on how much he or she collects. That amount remains the same regardless.
