Several factors can influence the amount of your Social Security check, including your birth year, work history, and the age at which you begin claiming benefits. However, your marital status can have a significant impact on your benefits, and this remains true even after retirement.
If you are married or divorced, you may be eligible for a special type of Social Security benefit; however, remarrying later in life may affect your benefit amount or even disqualify you from certain types of benefits. The specific impact varies according to individual circumstances, but here is an overview of how remarriage may affect your Social Security benefits during retirement.
Understanding Spousal and Divorce Benefits
Spousal benefits are designed for married people whose spouse is eligible for retirement or disability benefits. A key point is that even if you’ve never worked, you may be eligible for spousal benefits based on your spouse’s Social Security record. As of April 2024, the average monthly spousal benefit for a retired worker was $911.
To qualify for spousal benefits, you must be currently married; however, if you are divorced, you may be eligible for benefits based on your ex-spouse’s work history. These are known as divorce benefits.
To be eligible for divorce benefits, you must have been married to your ex-spouse for at least ten years and be unmarried when you start claiming them. Furthermore, you must be at least 62 years old before receiving spousal or divorce benefits.
Both spousal and divorce benefits are limited to 50% of the amount your spouse or ex-spouse is entitled to receive at full retirement age. If you qualify for retirement benefits based on your own work history, you cannot claim both your own benefit and the spousal or divorce benefit. Instead, you will receive the higher benefit amount, not a combination of the two.
The Impact of Remarriage on Your Social Security Benefits
Remarrying in retirement can increase or decrease your Social Security payments, depending on the spousal and divorce benefits you are entitled to.
For example, if you are receiving divorce benefits, remarriage will render you ineligible to continue receiving those payments. However, depending on your new spouse’s benefit amount, you may be eligible for spousal benefits, which could be more or less than the divorce benefits you were receiving.
For example, suppose your ex-spouse is entitled to $2,000 per month at full retirement age, while you receive $1,000 per month in divorce benefits. If you remarry and your new spouse receives $3,000 per month in Social Security, you may be eligible for up to $1,500 per month in spousal benefits based on your new spouse’s record. In this case, remarriage may result in a significant increase in your benefit amount.
However, if your new spouse’s benefit amount is less than your ex-spouse’s, you may receive a lower spousal benefit than you were previously receiving in divorce benefits. Remarriage disqualifies you from receiving divorce benefits, which could result in a permanent reduction in your Social Security payments, depending on the benefit amount your new spouse is entitled to.
One important point to remember is that whether you are married or divorced, your spouse’s or ex-spouse’s benefits have no bearing on the benefits to which you are entitled.
For example, if your ex-spouse is claiming divorce benefits based on your work history, the amount of your own Social Security check will be unaffected. Similarly, if you remarry, your ex-spouse’s divorce benefits will not affect your current spouse’s ability to receive spousal benefits.
