Depending on your age you can draw from your work history. If you can wait till your full retirement age you will draw more than taking SS early. At your full retirement age (which is probably 66 for you) you can draw off your ex. You might draw more if you can wait till 70.

When you draw off your ex SS counts what you are receiving and adds from the ex so you come out with half of what he would receive. Each year they go back and refigure to see if you should receive a one time pymt of extra. That is done if the ex continues to work. Its never very much but it helps.

Also know that if heaven forbid he should die you would draw his full amount. That was one of the things I was told when I was checking out what I would receive.

You have an election to make when you retire on Social Security. If you haven't remarried, you can collect benefits on his work history or yours, whichever is higher. I am a family law attorney and have many clients who have had the same question.

Thanks for the response. I appreciate every answer. I'm thinking about retiring..possibly this August. My sister who worked for social security said to retire a early as I want. because at least I'll be on it and they won't take me off if they raise the age limit again. And it takes several years to recover the money I would get now in benefits rather than waiting till 66.
I had forgotten all about my ex-husbands benefits. So I'll check this all out before making a decision.
I have problems with arthritis and lupus and had 2 need replacements this past year so health insurance is a big deal. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Retiring now looks appealing. I want to travel and quilt and just do what I want. :)

Will you be old enough for Medicare when you retire? If not, apply for healthcare under the Affordable Care Act. I retired at 62 and have had no lapse in insurance.

I will be 63 in April. I can still buy insurance through my employer but it's about $500 a month. And then I can get the supplemental for about $180. a month to go along with Medicare, I have enough sick leave saved up to pay for insurance till I'm 65. I think Medicare starts at 65. Still it would be nice to keep working and end work and be paid out for my sick leave and have a chunk of change for traveling. How does the afordable care act work?

The Affordable Healthcare Act is like a shopping mall for all major insurance carriers. At first glance, the cost of ANY health insurance is daunting BUT under the AHC Act, if your annual income is LESS THAN $42,000 a year, you may qualify for a SUBSIDY which is sizeable.

If you qualify, you will still have access to lower premiums and low or no-deductible coverage IF your STATE has EXPANDED MEDICAID.

In states that have not expanded Medicaid, the subsidy works out to a reduced premium and can also include LOW or NO DEDUCTIBLES!

You can visit Healthcare.gov and see what you can qualify for. It's pretty easy to navigate. Keep in mind, however, that we are past the Open Enrollment Period for 2015 and you may have to wait to get enrolled.

Since I had relocated from Maryland to Florida, I was a little confused by some of the rates and plans at the Healthcare.gov site. I knew I wanted to stay with a Blue Cross product, so I made an appointment with a local Blue Cross office and they explained everything in detail. VERY HELPFUL!

So check it out at www.Healthcare.gov. Since you are just 63 and still working, you're not that far away from qualifying for Medicare at age 65. But anywhere you can save money now is a good thing!

CowfirlKathi
Do you get a prescription plan too? I think I can get food stamps which would be a big help. I'll have to check it out.
Dee

hmmmm. I never even thought about social security. It never came up in our divorce but I took time off to raise our kids. Even though I make a comparable amount of money to him these days that took a lot of career rebuilding after our divorce and consequently my lifetime earning will not be as good as his.

lycesg- Is it just a matter of checking off his election when retire or did that need to be put in the divorce settlement? Also what if he gets remarried? (he could be now for all I know.)

Neverceases... I can answer some of what you ask. SS doesn't need to be mentioned in the divorce settlement. Your ex getting married has nothing to do with you drawing off him. As long as you were married at least ten years you qualify to draw from him no matter how many times he marries. He won't know you have applied under his work history. You will need your marriage license and maybe a copy of your divorce decree.

Thanks. Great tip. I'm going to have to look long and hard for a marriage certificate! Which I already know my children will need when I die. I might as well get this in the file now for them in the future.

Thanks Trisha!

missd12932:
To answer your question, YES my Florida Blue policy includes prescription coverage. It probably depends on what company you choose and the level of coverage you want.

I don't think your eligibility for food stamps has any bearing on the subsidy. It is based on income.

Wow , I'd stumbled into this post and was wondering about this sort of thing. Trisha9054 you seem to understand some things about this. I am in my 40's and am soon to be divorced . Married 25 years , but seperated 3 of those years. Would I be able to collect on some of his S.S. when I retire? I am starting over too after being mostly a stay at home mom and am working on rebuilding a career.Wondering...

@RossHomes. I was a stay at home mom until a year before my youngest graduated from school. No one can live on 500 a month from SS. You still have time to work and earn credits on your work history. yes youcwill be able to file for SS on your then ex. SS is good about helping you figure out how to file to get the most money.

You may remarry and could have ten years or more with your next H. You can only draw off one H. Get on the SS web site and read. That's what I did.

I believe at 62 you can apply for 1/2 of his SS. .
Tm.....good luck