Divorcing and Remarrying Can Affect Social Security

Divorce and remarriage
can have can have an impact on a person’s Social Security benefits.
Once a person reaches retirement age, he or she has the right to
claim Social Security benefits based on their own earnings record or
half of the former spouse’s benefit, whichever is higher, even if
they have divorced.

Once a person
remarries, they typically lose any rights to their former spouse’s
Social Security benefits, unless the new marriage ends by divorce or
death. However, a divorced person may still be able to collect
benefits on a former spouse’s record even if the former spouse has
remarried. To qualify for this benefit, the marriage must have lasted
at least 10 consecutive years.

In certain
circumstances, divorced people can even qualify for survivor benefits
after their former spouse dies. To qualify for survivors benefits,
the marriage must have lasted at least 10 years, or the recipient
must be caring for a child under 16, and the recipient must not have
remarried before age 60.

To contact an estate planning lawyer at Hook Law Center, call 757-399-7506.

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