Hello Larry,
I turned 66 in January 2019. I submitted a restricted application in June 2019 for ex-spouse benefits (I met all the criteria like length of marriage, 2 years divorced, have not gotten remarried), and I plan to wait until 70 to collect my benefits. Although I didn't know at the time, when I applied, I had the choice of receiving a retroactive check dating back to january or beginning benefits at the filing date. Social security automatically sent me a lump sum payment dating back to January. By receiving the retroactive check, will this in any way negatively impact the amount I would receive at 70? I hope to continue to obtain the 8%/year leading up to that point.
Thank you very much.

Hi,

No, drawing divorced spousal benefits starting at full retirement age (FRA) or later won't have any adverse effect on your own Social Security retirement benefit rate. And, divorced spousal benefits don't get any higher if you wait past FRA to claim them, so you'd just be leaving money on the table if you didn't accept the retroactive benefits that you received.

Best, Jerry