I am at my FRA right now( April 2022). I have not filed for my own as benefits yet. I was married for over 10 yrs and divorced more than 2 years ago. my question is this: Can I file for spousal benefits at the same time I file for my own benefit or should I only file for spousal benefits and let my own benefit grow a little longer? my ex-husband is 68 but has not filed for his own as yet. I do not work . would i even get a spousal benefit since my own ss is greater than 50% of what his would be? thanks. it's all confusing to me and glad i found this site.

Hi. Since you were apparently born after January 1 1954, filing just for divorced spousal benefits without filing for your own benefits at the same time isn't a valid option for you. Only people born prior to January 2 1954 are allowed to apply just for spousal or divorced spousal benefits without being deemed to be filing for their own Social Security retirement benefits at the same time (https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/claiming.html).

If your primary insurance amount (PIA) is more than 50% of the amount of your ex-spouse's PIA, then you won't be able to qualify for any benefits from his record as long as he's still living. Your best strategy for when to claim your own benefits depends on numerous different factors, so you should 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