I was born in 1961 and my Ex-spouse was born in 1970. We were married for 12 years. I have not remarried. Can I collect Ex-spousal benefits when I hit early retirement (62) or when/if I receive SSDI, or do I have to wait until he reaches retirement age (62 or FRA)? If I cannot collect Ex-spousal benefits until he reaches retirement age, can I collect my own and then collect his later?

Hi. As long as your ex-spouse is still living, you couldn't qualify for divorced spousal benefits until your ex either reaches age 62 or he starts drawing Social Security retirement or disability (SSDI) benefits.

You could claim your own Social Security benefits as soon as you qualify and later apply for divorced spousal benefits, but you'll only be eligible for divorced spousal benefits if 50% of your ex's 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 full retirement age (FRA).

Furthermore, if you claim reduced Social Security retirement benefits prior to your full retirement age (FRA) and if you later qualify for additional divorced spousal benefits, you'll be stuck with the reduction in your retirement benefit rate for as long as both you and your ex-spouse are living.

Your best filing strategy depends on a number of different factors, so you may want to strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully analyze all of your options so that you can determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry