Can I Collect On My Ex-Spouse's Social Security Or Just Mine?
I'm 67 and divorced he's on social security can I collect on his or just mine?
Hi. Since you were apparently born after January 1 1954, you couldn't collect divorced spousal benefits on a living ex-spouse's account while letting your own benefit grow until later. Therefore, the only way that you could qualify for benefits from your ex-husband's account while he's living is if 50% of his primary insurance amount (PIA) is more than your own PIA. A person's PIA is equal to their Social Security retirement benefit rate if they start drawing their benefits at . . . Read More
Category: Filing Options
Posted: Feb 17 2022 - 12:26pm
Can I Collect Benefits On My Ex-Husband's Account At FRA And Wait Until Age 70 To Collect My Own Benefit?
I reach my FRA in April 2022. i was married for over 10 years, divorced in 2000 and never remarried. I want to maximize my SS and am asking for some direction. I work parttime and was wondering if I can start taking any kind of benefit on my ex-spouse's record in April and wait to start collecting my own benefit at 70. I dont know if my ex is collecting yet or not. He will be 68 in August of 2022. what is your best advice? I listen to your interviews as much as I can but havent heard one that pertains to my individual situation. Thank you so much Larry for revealing that the . . . Read More
Category: Filing Strategies
Posted: Feb 16 2022 - 11:26am
How Long Can A Spouse Draw On Their Retired Spouse's Social Security?
1) How long can a spouse draw on the retired spouses Social Security? Can it continue after he turns 70?
2) Waiting till age 70 maximizes your monthly SS check which I have done. When getting ready to start drawing on my age 70 benefit, SS has offered to go back 6 months for a monthly amount of $96 less than the max amount to begin at age 70. The 6 month total of back pay is over 18,ooo. According to our calculations it would take 16 years to make up the difference if taking the greater amount at age 70 without the 6 month total back pay.
Can you wait to start . . . Read More
Category: Filing Options
Posted: Feb 15 2022 - 7:54pm
How Can I Find Out What I'm Entitled To From My Deceased Husband's Account?
I'm reading the book, but I am so confused. I am 67. I am not working. My husband died in 1993 and his income was substantially more than mine. How can I consider "File and Suspend" without knowing what his benefit would be so I know how to file. I have NOT filed for SS yet and was waiting until I turn age 70. HE did not collect because he died just shy of age 50. HOW can I find out about his potential SS retirement benefits that I would be entitled to?
Also I receive a non-taxable Washington State Labor and Industries monthly payment since his death was accidental. It . . . Read More
Category: Filing Strategies
Posted: Feb 15 2022 - 7:36pm
Is There Any Advantage To Claim My Wife's Child In Care Spousal Benefits Retroactively?
Hi Larry,
I filed for benefits at my FRA in Aug 2020 (age 66). My wife and disabled son also received benefits at this time based on my record (limited by our family maximum). My wife has no previous social security record of her own and my son was converted from SSI to social security benefits at the time of filing.
Is there any advantage to go back and file for the ‘Child-in-Care’ Spousal benefit retroactively?
Is there a suspend my retirement strategy until age 70 that would benefit from our filing for this ‘Child-in-Care’ spousal benefit?
Thank you . . . Read More
Category: Filing Options
Posted: Feb 15 2022 - 6:12pm
Can I Get My Deceased Husband's Benefits Even Though I'm Already Getting Disability Benefits?
I have been on disability for at lease 15 years but am wondering if I could get my deceased husbands benefits even though I think I made more than he did when working.
Hi. Only Social Security would have access to the records needed to answer your question. You don't mention your age, but you'd need to be at least age 50 to potentially be able to qualify for disabled widow's benefits. Plus, even if you meet the age and disability requirements, the only way that you could be paid survivor benefits in addition to your own Social Security disability (SSDI) . . . Read More
Category: Survivor Benefits
Posted: Feb 15 2022 - 2:43pm
Is It True That I Can't Apply For Half Of My Ex's Social Security Retirement?
I am 64 years old & still working. I was married 14 years & divorced & never remarried. I understand I can draw 1/2 of my ex's social security retirement. I applied but was told in a phone interview that I am not eligible because I have not made less than half of what he has made in the past. (that I have made IVER half) Is this true? Also I feel that I have made less than half of his income or that he has not recorded his income honestly. I do not agree with the person on the phone.
What should I do? Can I reapply? Please advise. Thank you.
. . . Read More
Category: Filing Options
Posted: Feb 14 2022 - 4:32pm
What Am I Missing?
Hi Larry,
Thanks so much for offering such a wonderful tool to use for us WEP retires. It is fantastic.
I waited 5 months from someone at SS to attempt to answer my questions that I had about WEP and the GPO. I had three phone appointments with them. No one understood how to answer my WEP questions. SS finally had a women reach out to me that was supposedly an expert on WEP and she supplied me with numbers that don't even come close to my manual calculations and what your software arrived at. My confidence level of the answers she supplied me with is very low. . . . Read More
Category: Benefit Amount
Posted: Feb 14 2022 - 3:13pm
Can My Kids Be Paid Benefits In Addition To My Benefits?
I received social security benefits can my 2 kids 6 & 3 pull benefits also
Hi. Children who under age 18 can almost always at least technically qualify for child benefits on the account of a parent who is receiving either Social Security retirement or disability (SSDI) benefit. However, if the parent is receiving SSDI benefits, then whether or not their eligible children can actually be paid any benefits depends on the parent's primary insurance amount (PIA). The lower the parent's PIA, the less likely it is that children could be paid benefits if the . . . Read More
Category: Child Benefits
Posted: Feb 14 2022 - 2:56pm
How Does The IRS Acquire The Information Needed To Calculate The WEP Guarantee?
Hi Professor Kotlikoff,
How does the IRS acquire the information needed to calculate the WEP Guarantee? Would I have to provide
this information? My state retirement for non-covered time and covered time is given 0.00 years not months
which the IRS appears to use; will the IRS accept this? The IRS Manual(POMS) says the Guarantee is based on one half of the total amount of pensions attributable to post 1956 non covered work but then the examples
only account for months of the uncovered time; this will not take into account different benefit percentages . . . Read More
Category: Non-Covered Pension - WEP / GPO
Posted: Feb 14 2022 - 2:39pm
