I am 68 and receiving my own Social Security. I have been divorced twice. The second marriage ended after just a few years, but the first marriage lasted more than 10 years. When I called Social Security and asked if I could collect benefits from my first husband, who is getting his own Social Security, they said I could not because I had remarried. Is this true?

No, it’s not. Because your second marriage ended, and because your first marriage lasted more than 10 years, you could be due divorced spousal benefits from your first husband, assuming your own retirement benefit is less than what you would be due on his account. The size of those divorced spousal payments could be anywhere from one-third to one-half of his benefit, depending on various factors—the primary one being how old you were when you started receiving your own benefits.

I am 60 years old and disabled, and I haven’t been employed for several years. Can I file for Social Security disability benefits? I’ve heard that I need to have worked for 10 years to qualify.

Your eligibility for Social Security disability benefits depends not only on the length of your work record but also on how recently you worked. First, someone your age must have at least 40 Social Security credits, which usually means you must have worked for at least 10 years. Second, you must have worked in five out of the past 10 years.

I turned 62 in January of this year. I am thinking of retiring at the end of June and filing for my Social Security to start in July. I have a 16-year-old daughter who will be eligible for dependent benefits. I know the annual earnings limit for 2026 is $24,480. But I will make more than that by the time I retire. Will that cause a reduction in our benefits this year?

No, you likely won’t see a reduction in your benefits for 2026. As you are already aware, people who file for their benefits before their full retirement age are subject to an earnings limit that may reduce their monthly benefit. And normally, $1 must be withheld from people’s benefits for each $2 in earnings above that amount. But there is a special rule that applies only to the first year that you file for Social Security. It says that even if your earnings exceed the annual limit, your benefits won’t be reduced for any month in which you earn less than the monthly limit. That monthly limit is always one-twelfth of the yearly limit, or $2,040 this year. In other words, assuming you do not earn more than $2,040 per month from July on, you and your daughter will get your regular benefits each month for the rest of the year. (Note that your retirement benefit for July will arrive in August, because Social Security payments are always for the prior month.)

My ex-wife and I are each getting our own Social Security. We were married for nine years before getting a divorce. If we remarry, how long would we have to be married before she would be eligible for widow’s benefits if I die first?

In most cases, a couple must be married for nine months before a surviving spouse would be due widow’s or widower’s benefits. But one of the exceptions to that rule is that if a couple was married before and that prior marriage lasted more than nine months, there is no duration-of-marriage requirement.