I was born in 1956 and I am 64 now. I have been divorced after being married over 10 years and i am
unmarried. My ex spouse is 63 and has been on SSDI . What are my options for collecting auxilliary benefits now versus waiting until full retirement, and how does each choice effect benefits in the present and going forward.
What happens in either case to the auxillary benefit if I wait to collect at 70. What happens
to my auxillary benefit if she does the same when she turns 65?

Hi,

Since you were born after January 1 1954, whenever you apply for either retirement benefits on your own record or for divorced spousal benefits, you'll be deemed to be filing for both. You can only be paid essentially the higher of the 2 benefit rates, and your benefit rate will be reduced for age if you start drawing prior to your full retirement age (FRA).

You won't qualify for divorced spousal benefits if your own unreduced Social Security retirement benefit rate (i.e. primary insurance amount, or PIA) is higher than 50% of your ex's PIA. And, if your ex's PIA is more than 50% of your PIA, she won't be able to qualify for divorced spousal benefits on your record. If either of you do qualify for divorced spousal benefits, you wouldn't want to wait past FRA to claim them since divorced spousal benefit rates don't increase if you wait past FRA to claim them.

It sounds like you should strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to explore all of your options so that you can choose the best possible strategy for claiming your benefits.

Best, Jerry