I was married 3 times. 1st marriage for 4 years, 2nd marriage for 24 years, and 3rd marriage for 8.5 months. I am not married, 61 years old, thinking about getting Social Security at 62. Am I able to get divorced spouse benefits from 2nd husband, if that amount should be more than mine? Thank you very much! Am reading your book, and still a tad confused! Mary ps should I change my last name back to my 2nd husbands to make it easier for SS?

Hi,

Yes, since your marriage to your second husband lasted more than 10 years, you can potentially qualify for divorced spousal benefits. You must be at least age 62 to be eligible for benefits, though, and you would only qualify if 50% of your ex-husband's full retirement age rate (PIA) is higher than your own PIA (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/yourdivspouse.html). The name that you choose to go by is irrelevant.

You may want to consider running the maximization software available on this website to help you decide on your best filing strategy.

Best, Jerry