I have been on social security disability benefits and so is my ex-husband. I will be turning 62 and since he was the major breadwinner his disability checks are larger than mine. Will I be able to collect his disability amount at age 62? If so what do I need to do?

Hi,

No. As long as your ex-husband is living, you could only qualify for benefits from his Social Security record if his primary insurance amount (PIA) is more than twice as much as your 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), or their full SSDI benefit rate.

If your ex's PIA is more than twice as much as your PIA and if you claim divorced spousal benefits at your FRA, your divorced spousal benefit rate would be equal to the difference between your own PIA and 50% of your ex's PIA. In other words, your SSDI plus your divorced spousal rate would then add up to 50% of your ex's PIA. However, if you qualify for divorced spousal benefits and if you claim them prior to FRA your divorced spousal rate will be reduced for age.

Best, Jerry