Divorce and Social Security Benefits: Federal Rules Explained

Federal rules governing Social Security benefits after divorce operate independently of state divorce law, meaning a state court cannot award, modify, or block Social Security entitlements through a divorce decree. This page covers the eligibility criteria, benefit calculation mechanics, filing procedures, and the distinctions between divorced-spouse benefits, survivor benefits, and disability-related claims. Understanding these federal boundaries matters because decisions made during settlement negotiations — such as those involving spousal support and alimony or retirement asset division — do not alter what the Social Security Administration will pay or to whom.

Definition and scope

Social Security divorced-spouse benefits are a provision of Title II of the Social Security Act, administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA), that allows a former spouse to claim retirement or disability benefits based on an ex-spouse's earnings record without reducing the ex-spouse's own benefit amount. The governing regulations appear at 20 C.F.R. Part 404, Subpart D.

The scope of this benefit structure covers three distinct categories:

1. Divorced-spouse retirement benefits — Based on the ex-spouse's retirement insurance benefit record.
2. Divorced-spouse disability benefits — Based on the ex-spouse's disability insurance benefit record when the ex-spouse is receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
3. Surviving divorced-spouse benefits — A separate category that activates upon the ex-spouse's death, governed by different thresholds and age rules.

These categories are mutually exclusive in terms of which applies at a given time, though an individual may transition between them as circumstances change. The Social Security Act explicitly preempts state property division frameworks in this domain — a point reinforced by the federal-vs-state divorce law boundary that governs much of divorce financial planning.

How it works

Core eligibility requirements for divorced-spouse retirement or disability benefits, as stated in SSA Publication No. 05-10084, include all of the following:

1. The marriage must have lasted at least 10 years.
2. The claimant must be at least 62 years old (or any age if caring for the ex-spouse's child who is under 16 or disabled).
3. The claimant must be currently unmarried.
4. The ex-spouse must be entitled to Social Security retirement or disability benefits.
5. The claimant's own Social Security benefit, based on their personal earnings record, must be less than the divorced-spouse benefit amount.

Benefit calculation follows the same formula used for a current spouse: the divorced-spouse benefit equals up to 50% of the ex-spouse's full retirement benefit (also called the Primary Insurance Amount, or PIA). If the claimant begins receiving benefits before reaching their own full retirement age — which ranges from 66 to 67 depending on birth year per SSA retirement age tables — the benefit is permanently reduced.

Independence rule: If the marriage lasted at least 10 years and the divorce has been final for at least 2 continuous years, the claimant may file even if the ex-spouse has not yet applied for benefits, provided the ex-spouse is at least 62. This "independently entitled divorced spouse" rule is codified at 20 C.F.R. § 404.331.

Filing is handled directly through SSA — either online at ssa.gov, by phone, or at a local SSA field office. Unlike QDRO procedures for private retirement plans, no court order is required to claim divorced-spouse Social Security benefits.

Common scenarios

Scenario A: Both ex-spouses are alive, ex-spouse is retired
The most common situation. A claimant who meets the 10-year marriage threshold, is 62 or older, and remains unmarried can file for up to 50% of the ex-spouse's PIA. The ex-spouse's benefit is unaffected, and if the ex-spouse has multiple eligible former spouses, each may claim independently — there is no reduction to any individual's benefit.

Scenario B: Ex-spouse has died — surviving divorced-spouse benefits
Under 20 C.F.R. § 404.336, a surviving divorced spouse may claim up to 100% of the deceased ex-spouse's benefit amount — double the 50% cap that applies while the ex-spouse is living. The age threshold drops to 60 (or 50 if disabled). The 10-year marriage requirement still applies, but the claimant may have remarried after age 60 without losing eligibility.

Scenario C: Claimant remarried before age 60
Remarriage before age 60 terminates eligibility for surviving divorced-spouse benefits for the duration of that subsequent marriage. If the subsequent marriage ends (by death, divorce, or annulment), eligibility to claim on the original ex-spouse's record may be restored — a nuance relevant to those navigating annulment versus divorce distinctions.

Scenario D: Both ex-spouses are disabled
A divorced spouse of an SSDI recipient may claim on that record under the same 10-year and age rules applicable to retirement benefits, subject to an offset if the claimant also receives government pension income under the Government Pension Offset (GPO) provision of the Social Security Act.

Decision boundaries

The following thresholds define eligibility versus ineligibility with no gray zone:

Government Pension Offset (GPO) applies when the claimant receives a pension from a federal, state, or local government job not covered by Social Security. Under GPO, the divorced-spouse Social Security benefit is reduced by two-thirds of the government pension amount — which can eliminate the Social Security benefit entirely. SSA's GPO fact sheet (Publication No. 05-10007) details the calculation.

Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) is a separate adjustment that affects the claimant's own Social Security retirement benefit (not the divorced-spouse derived benefit) when the claimant has fewer than 30 years of substantial earnings in Social Security-covered employment and also receives a non-covered pension.

These federal benefit rules operate entirely outside the scope of state divorce settlement agreements and cannot be assigned, waived, or transferred between parties in a divorce decree. The divorce tax implications of Social Security income — including whether benefits are taxable based on combined income thresholds — are governed by the Internal Revenue Code, not SSA regulations, creating a distinct layer of federal analysis separate from benefit eligibility.

References

• Social Security Administration (SSA) — Official Homepage
• SSA Publication No. 05-10084: Benefits for Divorced Spouses
• SSA Publication No. 05-10007: Government Pension Offset
• 20 C.F.R. Part 404, Subpart D — Federal Register / eCFR
• 20 C.F.R. § 404.331 — Independently Entitled Divorced Spouse
• 20 C.F.R. § 404.336 — Surviving Divorced Spouse Benefits
• SSA Retirement Age Tables
• Title II of the Social Security Act — Social Security Administration