Divorced Spouse Social Security Calculator
This calculator estimates your divorced spouse Social Security benefit — up to 50% of your ex-spouse's PIA at full retirement age — after early-claiming reductions and your own retirement benefit. It applies if you were married 10+ years, are unmarried and are 62 or older.
What is the divorced spouse Social Security benefit? It is a monthly Social Security payment you can draw on your ex-spouse's work record if your marriage lasted at least 10 years, you are unmarried and you are 62 or older. At your full retirement age it equals up to 50% of your ex's primary insurance amount (PIA), and it never reduces what your ex or their new spouse receives.
Eligibility Requirements
To claim Social Security on an ex-spouse's record: (1) the marriage lasted 10+ years; (2) you are currently unmarried; (3) you are 62 or older; (4) the benefit on your ex's record is greater than your own; (5) your ex is entitled to retirement or disability benefits — or, if you have been divorced at least 2 continuous years, your ex only needs to be 62+ and eligible, even if they have not applied yet.
Divorced Spouse Social Security Eligibility Checklist
| Rule | Requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Length of marriage | At least 10 years before the divorce became final | 20 CFR 404.331 |
| Your marital status | Currently unmarried (remarriage ends it unless the later marriage ends) | 20 CFR 404.331 |
| Your age | 62 or older | 20 CFR 404.331 |
| Ex-spouse status | Entitled to benefits, or 62+ and eligible if you have been divorced 2+ continuous years | 20 CFR 404.331 |
| Your own benefit | Must be lower than the spousal amount to get any extra | SSA: Benefits for Spouses |
| Effect on ex and new spouse | None — their payments are not reduced | SSA Retirement Planner |
How The Benefit Is Calculated
At your full retirement age (FRA), the divorced spouse benefit equals 50% of your ex-spouse's PIA. Claiming early reduces it by 25/36 of 1% per month for the first 36 months before FRA, then 5/12 of 1% per month for any additional months (SSA Handbook §724). There is no delayed retirement credit on the spousal amount. If you also earned your own benefit, SSA pays your own benefit first (reduced by 5/9 of 1% per month for the first 36 months early, 5/12 of 1% after) and adds the spousal "excess" — 50% of your ex's PIA minus your own PIA, reduced with the spousal factors.
Worked example: ex-spouse PIA of $2,400, FRA 67
| Scenario | Months early | Reduction | Monthly benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| No own benefit, claim at 67 (FRA) | 0 | 0% | 50% × $2,400 = $1,200 |
| No own benefit, claim at 64 | 36 | 36 × 25/36% = 25% | $1,200 × 75% = $900 |
| No own benefit, claim at 62 | 60 | 25% + 24 × 5/12% = 35% | $1,200 × 65% = $780 (32.5% of PIA) |
| Own PIA $800, claim at 67 | 0 | 0% | $800 own + $400 excess = $1,200 |
| Own PIA $800, claim at 62 | 60 | own 30%, spousal 35% | $560 own + $260 excess = $820 |
The 32.5% figure at age 62 matches SSA's own statement that a spouse claiming at 62 may receive as little as 32.5% of the worker's PIA (SSA: Benefits for Spouses).
Divorced Spouse Benefit vs Divorced Survivor Benefit
If your ex-spouse dies, a different and usually larger benefit applies: the surviving divorced spouse benefit. The 10-year marriage rule is the same, but the payment and remarriage rules are more generous.
| Divorced spouse (ex alive) | Surviving divorced spouse (ex deceased) | |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage length | 10+ years | 10+ years |
| Earliest age | 62 | 60 (50 if disabled) |
| Amount at FRA | Up to 50% of ex's PIA | Up to 100% of ex's benefit |
| Earliest-age amount | As low as 32.5% of PIA at 62 | About 71.5% at 60 |
| Remarriage | Ends eligibility while remarried | Allowed if you remarry at 60 or later |
Sources: SSA Survivors Benefits (EN-05-10084), SSA Handbook §406 (remarriage).
Multiple Ex-Spouses
If you have multiple 10+ year marriages that ended in divorce, you can claim on whichever ex-spouse's record provides the highest benefit. Remarriage cancels eligibility unless the new marriage also ends. Survivor benefits work differently — remarriage after age 60 does not disqualify.
Sources: SSA Retirement Planner: If You Are Divorced, 20 CFR 404.331, SSA Handbook §724. Estimates only — confirm with SSA. Last updated: October 2026.