Hello,
I am currently working and living in the Netherlands. I have lived and worked overseas for the past 17 years. My home state is Iowa. I turn 65 in July, 2021. I was married for 17 years. I have not remarried since my divorce in 2001. My question concerns whether it would be more advantageous for me to collect on my ex-husbands SS rather than mine. I worked stateside in Wisconsin for 17 years. My ex-husband has been collecting on his SS for 6 years. He turned 69 in December. Your advice is appreciated. Regards.

Hi,

Since you were born after January 1 1954, whenever you apply for either your own benefits or for divorced spousal benefits you'll be deemed to be filing for both benefits. Your resulting benefit rate will essentially amount to the higher of the two rates, and your rate will be reduced for age if you start drawing prior to your full retirement age (FRA) of 66 & 4 months.

You may want to strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully analyze the options available to you in order to determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry