That is the most recent in a collection of biweekly articles that includes Social Safety claiming case research drawn from the ALM publication “2024 Social Safety & Medicare Info,” by Michael Thomas with help from Jim Blair, a former Social Safety administrator, and Marc Kiner, a planning professional with in depth expertise in public accounting.

The Situation: Two 10-Yr-Plus Marriages and Two Divorces

Sherry, who doesn’t have sufficient credit to be eligible for Social Safety advantages primarily based on her personal work report, was married to Charles and Shaun for over 10 years every, and she or he has been divorced for over two years from every.

Whatever the submitting standing of her ex-spouses, as soon as they and Sherry are a minimum of age 62, Sherry can file for ex-spousal advantages as an independently entitled divorced partner. She is eligible first on her first husband’s report and later eligible on her second husband’s report.

Resulting from deemed submitting guidelines, if Sherry takes advantages from Charles’ report earlier than turning into eligible for advantages on Shaun’s report, she should file on Shaun’s report in her first month of eligibility — June 2024, on this situation.

Based mostly on their ages and life expectations, Sherry is predicted to survive Charles. Thus, her survivor profit projections are primarily based on Charles’ work report. Statistically, Sherry shouldn’t be anticipated to survive Shaun, but when she does she could be eligible for a survivor profit primarily based on his work report.

Sherry was born in Might 1962, that means she has a full retirement age of 67 and an anticipated loss of life age of 87. Charles was born in November 1960, and he has a full retirement age of 67, at which era he could be eligible for $1,875 in month-to-month funds. Charles’ anticipated loss of life age is 84. Shaun was born in Might 1967, and he has a full retirement age of 67, at which era he could be entitled to a month-to-month good thing about $2,250. His anticipated loss of life age is 85.

What the Numbers Say

Whereas this set of enter assumptions appears extra complicated than many different potential claiming methods for a single filer, the reality is that there are simply two major claiming methods for Sherry to contemplate. The projected distinction in lifetime profit worth between them is comparatively modest — about $35,000.

The suboptimal technique would see Sherry file what is called an “independently entitled divorced partner utility” in Might 2029, at which era she could be 67 and subsequently entitled to 100% of her spousal profit ($1,125) primarily based on her marriage to Shaun. She would later turn into entitled to a $1,875 month-to-month survivor profit primarily based on Charles’ employee profit. This strategy would ship a projected lifetime profit worth of $311,250.

The higher technique is considerably extra complicated, however as famous, it delivers about $35,000 in extra projected advantages. On this case, Sherry information in June 2024 at age 62 for an independently entitled divorced partner utility, at which era she’s going to turn into entitled to a lowered spousal profit primarily based on Charles’ earnings of $613.