Divorced After 10 Years? Social Security Owes You Up to $1,500 a Month

A woman in her mid-60s, divorced after 22 years of marriage, recently posted on Reddit’s r/retirement forum asking whether she had “missed her window” to collect anything from Social Security based on her ex-husband’s work record. She hadn’t. She was eligible for a benefit she didn’t know existed, worth over $1,000 a month.

That confusion is common. The rule allowing divorced spouses to claim on an ex’s record is one of the least understood in Social Security, and for people over 62 married for a decade or more, it can be one of the most valuable.

The Rule That Surprises Most People

If your marriage lasted at least 10 years, you are currently unmarried, and you are 62 or older, you can claim a spousal benefit based on your ex-spouse’s record. You must also have been divorced for at least two years. You do not have to wait for your ex to file first. You can claim independently, on your own timeline.

Claiming this benefit does not reduce your ex-spouse’s monthly check by a single dollar. Their benefit is completely unaffected. Social Security pays each benefit separately.

The maximum you can receive is 50% of your ex-spouse’s full retirement age (FRA) benefit, the amount they would receive at their full retirement age. If your ex-spouse’s FRA benefit is $3,000 per month, you could receive up to $1,500 per month in 2026.

One detail that catches people off guard: delaying your claim past your own full retirement age does not increase a spousal benefit. Delayed retirement credits, which boost your own earned benefit by 8% per year up to age 70, do not apply to spousal benefits. There is no financial reward for waiting beyond FRA if you are claiming on an ex’s record.

The Earnings Limit If You Claim Early

For those who claim before full retirement age while still working, Social Security imposes an earnings cap that can significantly reduce monthly payments. In 2026, the earnings limit is $24,480 per year. For every $2 earned above it, $1 in benefits is withheld. This temporary reduction means early claiming is rarely advantageous for people who are still actively employed.

How This Fits With Your Own Benefit

If you have your own Social Security record, Social Security pays the higher of the two amounts. If your own earned benefit at FRA would be $900 per month and the spousal benefit would be $1,500, you receive $1,500. If your own benefit exceeds the spousal amount, the spousal benefit adds nothing.

This matters most for people who spent years out of the workforce, worked part-time, or earned significantly less than their ex-spouse.

What to Think Through Before You Claim

Claiming your own benefit early locks in a permanent reduction. The spousal benefit gains nothing from waiting past FRA. The sequence of which benefit you claim, and when, can meaningfully change your lifetime income.

Claiming at 62 instead of FRA can mean roughly 30% less per month for the rest of your life, with no way to recover that reduction. Delaying past FRA, by contrast, adds nothing to a spousal-only claim. Confirming your earnings record and your ex-spouse’s estimated benefit with the SSA directly is worth the hour it takes.