Claim Social Security on an Ex-Spouse's Record
Plain-English walkthrough for divorced older adults on claiming Social Security spousal and survivor benefits based on an ex-spouse's earnings record.
8 min read · 6 steps · Checked May 2026
Step 1. Confirm You Meet Every Qualifying Rule
Pull out a copy of your marriage certificate and your divorce decree. Count the exact months between the wedding date and the date the divorce was final. If the total is 120 months or more, the ten-year rule is met. Confirm that you are currently unmarried. If you remarried after the divorce and that later marriage ended, you may still qualify based on the original marriage. Check your own age. You must be at least 62 to claim an ex-spouse retirement benefit, or at least 60 to claim an ex-spouse survivor benefit if your ex has died. Confirm your ex is at least 62 if you are claiming a retirement-based benefit. If you are not sure of any of these facts, call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 for a free check.
Warning
Even if the marriage lasted 9 years and 11 months, the ten-year rule is strict. A marriage that ended one day before the tenth anniversary does not qualify. If you are within months of the ten-year mark, talk to a family law attorney about timing before signing the final divorce papers.
Step 2. Gather Your Documents Before You Apply
Social Security will ask for proof of your identity, your marriage, and your divorce. Collect the following: your Social Security card, a certified copy of your marriage certificate, a certified copy of your divorce decree, your birth certificate, and a government-issued photo ID. If you do not have a marriage certificate, contact the vital records office in the state where you were married. If you do not have the divorce decree, contact the county clerk where the divorce was filed. Both usually charge $5 to $30 for a certified copy. You also need your ex-spouse's Social Security number if you can find it. If you do not have it, the Social Security Administration can sometimes look it up using the date of birth and the place of birth, but having the number speeds the application.
Quick Tip
Ask the court for two extra certified copies of the divorce decree at the time of filing. Other agencies like banks, Medicare, and the Department of Motor Vehicles often ask for one too.
Step 3. Decide When to Claim
Timing is one of the most important choices in any Social Security application. You can claim an ex-spouse benefit as early as age 62, but the monthly amount is reduced for every month you claim before your full retirement age, which is 66 to 67 depending on your birth year. Waiting until full retirement age gives you 50 percent of your ex's primary insurance amount. Waiting longer than full retirement age does not increase the ex-spouse benefit. So there is no reason to delay past that point if your own record is smaller. If you also worked, the Social Security computer will compare the two amounts and pay you the higher of the two. Use the calculator at ssa.gov to model both numbers before you apply.
Warning
Never claim early only because a friend or family member said so. The reduction lasts for life. A two-year delay from age 62 to age 64 can mean thousands of dollars more in lifetime benefits.
Step 4. Apply Online, by Phone, or in Person
The fastest way to apply is online at ssa.gov/applyforbenefits. Sign in to your my Social Security account, click Apply for Benefits, and pick Retirement or Spouse Benefits. The form will ask whether you are applying on your own record or on a spouse or ex-spouse record. Choose ex-spouse and enter the ex-spouse's name, Social Security number if you have it, and your marriage and divorce dates. Upload scans of your marriage certificate and divorce decree if the form requests them. If you prefer, you can apply by phone at 1-800-772-1213 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, or in person at a local Social Security office. In-person appointments may take three to six weeks to schedule, so call in advance.
Quick Tip
Apply three months before you want your first payment. Social Security processes claims in the order they arrive, and an early application makes sure your first check arrives on time.
Step 5. Understand How Your Claim Affects Your Ex
Many older adults worry that claiming an ex-spouse benefit will hurt their former spouse financially or alert them to the claim. Neither is true. Your ex-spouse will not be told that you have filed. Your monthly benefit comes out of the Social Security trust fund, not out of your ex's check. Your ex's benefit stays the same. If your ex has remarried, that does not affect your claim either. The new spouse can also collect a spousal benefit on the same record, and so can a third or fourth ex-spouse if each marriage lasted ten years. The system is designed to take care of every long-term partner who shared in the working years.
Warning
If you are still in the middle of the divorce and the decree has not yet been entered, you cannot apply as a divorced spouse. Wait until the decree is final and you have a certified copy.
Step 6. Plan Ahead for Survivor Benefits
If your ex-spouse passes away after the divorce, the ex-spouse retirement benefit converts to an ex-spouse survivor benefit. The survivor benefit is 100 percent of what your ex was receiving, reduced if you claim before your own full retirement age. The marriage still has to have lasted at least ten years. And you must be at least 60 years old, or 50 if you are disabled. Survivor benefits open one important strategy: you can claim a survivor benefit early and let your own retirement benefit grow until age 70, then switch to your own record if it is higher at that point. The Social Security Administration will tell you which combination is best when you apply. Reapply for survivor benefits as soon as you learn your ex has died, because the change is not automatic.
Quick Tip
Sign up for the Social Security Death Index alert through legacy genealogy services, or ask an adult child who stayed in touch with the ex-spouse's family to let you know. The benefit does not start until you apply.
One of the best protections in the Social Security system for divorced older adults is the ex-spouse benefit. If your marriage lasted at least ten years, you can collect Social Security based on your former spouse's earnings record, often without your ex ever being told. This benefit can be a financial lifeline for older adults who took time out of the workforce to raise children, who worked in lower-paying jobs, or whose own retirement record produces a smaller monthly check than their ex-spouse's record would. The rules are clear, and the application process is the same as a regular Social Security claim, but very few divorcing couples learn about it from their attorneys.
To qualify for an ex-spouse benefit, four things have to be true. First, the marriage must have lasted at least ten years from the wedding date to the date the divorce was final. Second, you must currently be unmarried, though a marriage that ended in death or another divorce still allows you to claim. Third, you must be at least 62 years old. Fourth, the benefit you would receive on your ex's record must be larger than the benefit you would receive on your own record. If both you and your ex are at least 62 and the divorce has been final for at least two years, you can claim even if your ex has not yet claimed for themselves. This is called the independent entitlement rule.
The ex-spouse benefit at full retirement age is half of your ex's full benefit amount, called the primary insurance amount. Claiming before full retirement age reduces the benefit. Claiming after full retirement age does not add delayed retirement credits, which is different from claiming on your own record. If your ex passes away, the ex-spouse benefit becomes a survivor benefit and increases to 100 percent of what your ex was receiving, with reductions for age 60 to full retirement age. The Social Security Administration calculates which option pays you more and pays the higher amount.
This guide walks you through confirming you qualify, gathering documents, applying at ssa.gov or by phone, and understanding the timing choices that affect your monthly check. The conversation with Social Security is usually private. Your ex will not be notified that you have applied, and your claim does not reduce their benefit in any way.
Official sources
- Medicare.gov — medicare.gov
- SSA.gov — ssa.gov
- IRS.gov — irs.gov
- USA.gov — usa.gov
Still stuck?
A real person can walk you through it over the phone.
Get help from a person