Unfortunately, more than half of all marriages end in divorce. Frequently, one spouse will stay at home during the marriage to take care of children and/or the household, while the other spouse works. As a result, the stay-at-home spouse may not have accumulated sufficient earnings to qualify for benefits under their own Social Security earnings record. Fortunately, the law allows some disabled divorced spouses to qualify for Social Security disability benefits under their ex-spouse’s earnings record.
To qualify for benefits on your ex-spouse’s Social Security earnings record, you must be:
- Disabled according to SSA’s definition of disability
- Have been married to your ex-spouse for at least 10 years
- Be at least 62 years old
- Be unmarried
- Not eligible for an equal or higher benefit under your own or anyone else’s Social Security earnings record