Can I Take My Ex-Wife’s Social Security if I Already Get SSDI?

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You’d qualify for spousal advantages based mostly in your ex-wife’s earnings. However that in all probability gained’t do you a lot good. Social Safety doesn’t permit for double-dipping. You’ll be able to obtain your individual profit or a spousal profit, however not each. Social Safety offers you whichever one is greater.

Social Safety Incapacity Insurance coverage (SSDI) advantages are based mostly by yourself earnings. Primarily, your profit is calculated as in the event you’d reached full retirement age. However the most spousal profit is simply 50% of the opposite particular person’s full retirement age profit.

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Even when your ex-wife considerably outearned you, your SSDI profit might be greater than you’d obtain by means of spousal advantages. As of August 2022, the common Social Safety incapacity profit was about 63% greater than the common spousal profit.

This doesn’t must be a guessing sport, although. You’ll be able to name Social Safety and supply them with the data you’ve about your ex-wife. Whereas having her Social Safety quantity would make issues simpler, employees can nonetheless show you how to find her earnings document with out it. That means you’ll know with certainty that you simply’re not leaving cash on the desk.

Sadly, I’ve to layer on extra unhealthy information: The one who instructed you that you’ve zero rights to your ex’s inheritance was right. Even in the event you’d stayed married, you wouldn’t have been entitled to that cash. Inheritances are typically handled as separate property, relatively than marital property, that means they belong completely to the inheriting partner.

So the place does that go away you? You realize that you simply’re going through a possible $360 funds shortfall. You realize that the percentages of compressing more cash out of Social Safety are slim and that the outlet gained’t be crammed by your spouse’s inheritance. So you’ve two years to arrange.

When you personal your own home and have vital fairness, contemplate taking out a reverse mortgage. In any other case, in case you have an additional bed room, maybe you would absorb a renter to generate additional earnings.

You also needs to examine whether or not you qualify for advantages past your SSDI funds. A great place to begin is benefits.gov. For instance, possibly you’d qualify for the Supplemental Diet Help Program (SNAP) or a Medicare Financial savings Program.

Although you say that you simply’re unable to work, contemplate simply how a lot work has modified in the previous few years. Even in the event you’re not in a position to report back to an on-site job with common hours, would possibly or not it’s attainable so that you can earn more money with gig work or a distant job?

You solely want to interchange about $90 every week. You’re allowed to earn as much as $1,350 a month (or $2,250 in the event you’re blind) whereas receiving Social Safety incapacity in 2022. These limits will in all probability rise barely in 2023. And when you attain full retirement age at 67, your incapacity will convert to retirement advantages, and also you’ll haven’t any earnings limits.

You’re in all probability on a decent funds already. But when it’s attainable to put aside any cash out of your alimony now — even when it’s simply $25 or $50 a month — strive to take action, with the intention to construct your self a cushion for when these checks finish.

Figuring out that your alimony funds will finally dry up must be irritating, given that you simply’re on a set earnings. However at the very least you’ve time to arrange. Use the following two years to discover various sources of earnings and advantages.

Robin Hartill is an authorized monetary planner and a senior author at The HE. Ship your tough cash inquiries to [email protected].