I am 65yr old and have not claimed SS yet. Significant other is 59 with a short work history and a PIA less than half mine. She has an ex spouse from a greater than 10 year marriage, with a suspected higher PIA than mine. Are there financial advantages for her in waiting until after she turns 60 to remarry, or to remarry at all?. She suspects with her ex's lifestyle and habits, his demise will predate mine. His age is 61.
Thanks. Very confused
Hi. If your significant other remarries, she wouldn't be able to qualify for divorced spousal benefits from the record of a living former spouse for as long as the remarriage lasts. That's true regardless of how old she is when she gets remarried. But, if her ex-spouse dies, your significant other could potentially qualify for surviving divorced spousal benefits even if she is remarried, but only if the remarriage occurs when she is age 60 or older.
If your significant other remains unmarried, the earliest that she could potentially qualify for divorced spousal benefits on her living ex's record is when she reaches age 62. However, if the two of you don't get married, she'll never be able to qualify for spousal or survivor benefits from your Social Security account.
It sounds like the two of you should strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully compare and analyze all of your various options so that you can determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.
Best, Jerry