4 more Social Security tips to be aware of

The rules for obtaining Social Security benefits—and the types of benefits you can receive—are confusing, according to Forbes.

For example:

7. If you divorce after 10 years or more and then you marry someone else, you will lose your spousal and survivor benefits from spouse number your first spouse if you remarry before age 60. For divorcees who remarry just short of age 60, losing their divorcee survivor benefits may be unexpected.

8. If you do remarry, but your previous spouse had a higher income, and you later get divorced from your new spouse, you can collect divorcee benefits from the first spouse. For those in this situation who don’t get divorced, it may be considered a catch-22.

9. If you get married and you and your spouse both earn incomes, you only need to be married for one year in order for your spouse to qualify for spousal benefits.

You may have learned that for some people, Social Security has pretty strong incentives to marry, yet for others, it has strong incentives to divorce.

10. If you work for the government or other organization that’s exempt from Social Security, so that it does not send in Social Security tax payments based on your earnings, you will receive lower benefits from Social Security.

If you or someone you know needs help with Social Security Disability, contact the Social Security lawyers at Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos & Newlin.